Abu Dhabi

Lord Soley: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Answer by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 10 November (HL Deb, cols. 676-7), whether they have held further discussions with relevant authorities in Abu Dhabi about the rule of law in that state.

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: Since my Answer on 10 November 2009, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has not held any further high-level discussions with the authorities in Abu Dhabi about the rule of law. Police co-operation as outlined in my previous Answer continues, and rule of law issues remain relevant to the day-to-day work of our Embassy in Abu Dhabi.

Abu Dhabi

Lord Soley: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Answer by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 10 November (HL Deb, cols. 676-7), whether the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has taken forward any proposals for enhancing and protecting the rule of law in Abu Dhabi.

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: Further to my Answer on 10 November 2009, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has not taken forward proposals for enhancing and protecting the rule of law in Abu Dhabi. Such proposals would need to be raised in the appropriate forum, such as the annual UK/UAE joint ministerial meeting. The next such meeting is due to take place in 2010.

Abu Dhabi

Lord Soley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the authorities in Abu Dhabi about outstanding claims by the Al-Ghussein family for the loss of the family's business and property interests.

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has not raised the case of the Al-Ghussein family with the authorities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). As the late Mr Al-Ghussein was not a British National, the FCO has no locus to raise this dispute as a consular matter. Nor does the British Government have any authority to get involved in any matters concerning UAE domestic legislation.

Abu Dhabi

Lord Soley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will raise with the Government of Abu Dhabi the outstanding claims of the Al-Ghussein family concerning the loss of their property and any threat therefrom to business confidence in Abu Dhabi.

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: As the late Mr Al-Ghussein was not a British national, the FCO has no locus to raise this dispute as a consular matter. Nor does the British Government have any authority to get involved in any matters concerning UAE domestic legislation.

Afghanistan: Mental Health

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they are funding any mental health services in Afghanistan; if so, where; and how much they are funding.

Lord Brett: The Department for International Development (DfID) is providing £213,167 over three years (2007-10) to support the healthy mental development of children in western Afghanistan who have lived through war. This programme includes training for social workers and the implementation of a national social work training programme.

Afghanistan: Mental Health

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the European Union or NATO are supporting mental health services for the Afghan people; if so, where; and at what annual cost.

Lord Brett: Details of NATO and the European Union's activities in Afghanistan can be found on their websites:
	http://ee.europa.eu/external_relations/afghanistan/index_en.htmhttp://www.nato.int/cps/en/natolive/topics_8189.htm

Agriculture: Maps

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by the Minister for Farming and the Environment, Jim Fitzpatrick, on 21 July (Official Report, House of Commons, col. 1167W), what proportion of the errors on completed maps are due to map features being notified incorrectly by farmers; and what proportion are due to problems with the computer system.

Lord Davies of Oldham: Of the 7,471 farmers who have completed the update process and received confirmatory maps, 101 farmers have contacted the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) to make further mapping changes. Of the confirmed land parcel errors that required changes to be made, 36 were found to be as a result of farmer error and 93 were found to be RPA digitising errors (a farmer may have notified us of more than one error). No errors have been reported or identified as being due to problems with computer system.

Armed Forces: Ballistic Sensor Fused Munitions

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government when ballistic sensor fused munitions will be available for use on the battlefield.

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: The planned in-service date for the ballistic sensor fused munition is 2012. This is, however, subject to an internal review which is expected to conclude shortly.

Armed Forces: Ballistic Sensor Fused Munitions

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what testing they will undertake on ballistic sensor fused munitions before use on the battlefield.

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: A full qualification programme is planned for the ballistic sensor fused munition. This is standard practice for gun-fired munitions.

Armed Forces: Ballistic Sensor Fused Munitions

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the manufacturers of ballistic sensor fused munitions regarding their ability to remain on the ground and cause damage to civilians after hostilities.

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: Detailed discussions have taken place to understand the risks posed by unexploded sub-munitions from the ballistic sensor fused munitions. The sub-munitions have a self destruct mechanism designed to activate if a target is not located. If the self-destruct mechanism fails, the sub-munition is designed to power down so that it cannot be inadvertently detonated.

Armed Forces: Ballistic Sensor Fused Munitions

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the manufacturer of ballistic sensor fused munitions is a British company; and, if so, what export restrictions will be imposed upon that weapon.

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: A contract to procure the UKs ballistic sensor fused munition capability is in place with Gesellschaft für Intelligente Wirksysteme mbH (GIWS). This is a joint venture between Rheinmetall Defence and Diehl BGT Defence and is based in Germany.

Armed Forces: Costs

Lord Marlesford: To ask Her Majesty's Government why Question for Written Answer HL5965 about the cost of the United Kingdom's operations in certain countries, tabled on 23 October and due for answer by 6 November, was not answered by the end of the session on 12 November.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the cost to public funds in each of the last five years of the United Kingdom's operations (including all three services) in (a) Iraq, (b) Afghanistan, (c) Cyprus, (d) Northern Ireland, (e) Germany, and (f) the Falkland Islands; and what is the budget for the current year.

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: The Minister for Strategic Defence Acquisition Reform, Lord Drayson, gave the noble Lord this Answer on 12 November. Unfortunately, this answer was not printed in Hansard.
	The costs of UK military activity in 2004-05 to 2009-10 for each location is provided in the following table:
	
		
			 £ Million   
			  FY 2004-05(1) FY 2005- 06 (1) FY 2006-07(1) FY 2007- 08 (1) FY 2008- 09 (1) FY 2009- 10 (2) 
			 Iraq 910 958 956 1457 1381 38 
			 Afghanistan 67 199 738 1504 2623 3754 
			 Falkland Islands 113 143 65 67 70 70 
			 Cyprus 186 236 174 191 226 179 
			 German 464 373 357 361 389 340 
			 Northern Ireland 284 281 128 89 79 18 
		
	
	Notes
	l. These are audited outturn figures.
	2. The figures reflect estimated spend for Afghanistan and Iraq as outlined in the Winter Supplementary Estimates. These will be reviewed as required through the Spring Supplementary Estimates process.
	3. 2009-10 figures for Germany and Northern Ireland do not include civilian pay.
	The net additional costs of military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan are met from the reserve and do not include basic pay, pension and other costs not resulting from operational deployment.
	Figures for the tri-Service garrison in the Falkland Islands include costs associated with pay for locally employed civilians, utilities, white fleet vehicle leasing and fuel, catering leisure and retail activities stores, and the British Forces Health Service. These figures do not include military equipment, military personnel pay, service children's education facilities, estate works and maintenance, IT and communication, maritime visits or air charter; costs associated with these activities are met by other top level budget holders. The reason for the lower figures in the most recent years is due to a change in MoD accounting policy, under which fixed asset depreciation costs and the cost of capital on fixed assets is recorded elsewhere.
	Figures for headquarters British Forces in Cyprus include costs associated with pay for locally employed civilians, utilities, white fleet vehicle leasing and fuel, catering leisure and retail activities stores, and the British Forces Health Service. The figures do not include military equipment, military personnel pay, service children's education facilities, estate works and maintenance, IT and communication, or air charter.
	Figures for the British Forces in Germany include costs associated with pay for locally employed civilians, utilities, white fleet vehicle leasing and fuel, catering leisure and retail activities stores and the British Forces Health Service. The figures do not include costs associated with military equipment, military personnel pay, service children's' education, estate works and maintenance, or IT and communications. The reduction from 2004-05 to 2005-06 relates to transfer of works funding to Defence Estates.
	Figures for Northern Ireland include costs associated with pay for locally employed civilians and Territorial Army, utilities, white fleet vehicle leasing and fuel. The figures do not include costs associated with military equipment, military personnel pay, estate works and maintenance, or IT and communications. The reduction from 2004-05 to 2005-06 relates to transfer of works funding to defence estates.

Armed Forces: Depleted Uranium

The Countess of Mar: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their response to the Rule 43 report of HM Coroner for the Black Country District of 18 September in the case of Stuart Raymond Dyson deceased; and what action they propose to prevent further deaths from ingestion of, or exposure to, depleted uranium by military and civilian personnel in areas of conflict.

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: I will place a copy of the department's response to the Coroner for the Black Country District's Rule 43 report in the Library of the House.
	In line with reports by independent expert bodies including the Royal Society, International Atomic Energy Agency and World Health Organisation it is the Government's view that depleted uranium (DU) is both weakly radioactive and chemically toxic to about the same extent as lead.
	In relation to the use of DU munitions we base our risk assessments on the best available scientific advice and routinely monitor developments in the scientific literature.

Armed Forces: Helicopters

Lord Ashcroft: To ask Her Majesty's Government why the decision to upgrade the Puma helicopter has taken the time that it has.

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: The demonstration and manufacture phase contract for the Puma life extension programme was placed with Eurocopter UK on 18 September this year. Prior to this a full range of options were evaluated to determine an affordable technical solution that could be delivered in time to meet future capability requirements and provide value for money. Feasibility studies, risk reduction and commercial negotiations were undertaken to mature the programme to a point where the contract could be placed with confidence in its ability to deliver and its price.

Armed Forces: Helicopters

Lord Ashcroft: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the time taken to decide on further purchases of Chinook helicopters was due to needing to negotiate places on the Boeing Chinook production line; and when they expect the production of the new Chinooks to begin.

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: The Secretary of State for Defence announced on 15 December a new strategy to deliver helicopter capability, including the acquisition of 22 new Chinook helicopters. Negotiations with Boeing are ongoing, and will inform investment decisions during 2010, to ensure the earliest possible deliveries. Subject to this, we expect delivery of 10 new-build Chinooks during the course of 2012 and 2013.

Armed Forces: Helicopters

Lord Ashcroft: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Royal Air Force will be equipped with Chinook and Puma helicopters for urban and tasking special forces.

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: Royal Air Force support helicopters are used in a variety of different roles and environments. We will continue to provide this support into the future using appropriate equipment, making any changes in line with the needs of the operation. It is a long-standing policy of the Ministry of Defence not to comment on UK special forces issues.

Armed Forces: Helicopters

Lord Ashcroft: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Royal Navy will be equipped with an all-Merlin helicopter force to allow it to return to a littoral role.

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: I refer the noble Lord to the Statement made on 15 December 2009 (Official Report, cols. WS221-WS222) by the Secretary of State for Defence, the right honourable Bob Ainsworth, announcing a new future rotary wing strategy which will see the Ministry of Defence deliver increased levels of helicopter capability. In addition to the procurement of at least 22 Chinook helicopters, the new strategy will see the retirement of the whole Sea King fleet by early 2016, and the modification of the Merlin Mk3/3a fleet to allow it to contribute to helicopter lift operations on both battlefield and ship-borne littoral operations, in the way that Sea King Mk4 does today. The new strategy assumes post-2016 that all maritime helicopter requirements will be met from the Merlin and Wildcat fleets.

Armed Forces: Helicopters

Lord Ashcroft: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Army will be equipped with suitable helicopters for its conflict operations.

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: The Army is currently equipped with suitable helicopters for its conflict operations. These include Apache, for delivery of the find and attack function, and Lynx Mk7 and Mk9, which operate primarily in a battlefield reconnaissance role. We are upgrading Lynx Mk9 with powerful new engines to allow them to operate in Afghanistan all-year round.
	Beyond this, in addition to the helicopter capabilities provided by the Army Air Corps, the Army is supported by RAF Chinook, Merlin and the Navy's Sea King Mk4 helicopters which deliver vital lift capacity in the battlefield domain. Over the next 10 years, the Ministry of Defence intends to invest some £6 billion in its helicopter capability, including procurement of the new Lynx Wildcat, which we confirmed in December last year.

Autism

Lord Kirkwood of Kirkhope: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have regarding the services provided by JobcentrePlus to jobseekers with autism.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what measures they propose to enable more jobseekers with autism to obtain sustainable full-time and part-time work.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what additional support they will make available to employers to enable them to employ more jobseekers with autism.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to introduce a national strategy for jobseekers with autism.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: The Department for Work and Pensions is represented on the Department of Health-led steering group, which works with the National Autistic Society and other organisations following the recent consultation A better future: a consultation on a future strategy for adults with autistic spectrum conditions and the publication on 15 October 2009 of the Public Accounts Committee report Supporting people with autism through adulthood. A formal response to the consultation is expected to be published early next year.

Autism

Lord Astor of Hever: To ask Her Majesty's Government who Disability Employment Advisers can approach in JobcentrePlus for additional support when working with clients with autism.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: Disability employment advisers can seek help, where appropriate, from a network of work psychologists who offer a range of local services aimed at helping disabled customers progress into work.
	Disability employment advisers can approach their access to work colleagues for advice on the support available to an autistic person. Where access to work support is required, the disability employment adviser will work with the customer and access to work adviser to ensure appropriate support is in place for the commencement of paid employment.

Aviation: Commercial Aircraft

Lord Tyler: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will place in the Library of the House a list of all events involving United Kingdom-registered commercial aircraft with a take-off weight greater than 5,700kg recorded on the Civil Aviation Mandatory Occurrence Report database from 1 January 2000.

Lord Adonis: The information requested can only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Banking: Bonuses

Lord Dykes: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to follow the governments of the United States and certain European Union member states in ensuring effective cuts in salaries and bonuses for senior directors and executives of banks in receipt of public money.

Lord Myners: The banks in which the Government are a shareholder are managed on an arm's-length commercial basis by UK Financial Investments (UKFI), which is wholly owned by the Government.
	UKFI is working with the banks as a shareholder to ensure they offer incentives based on the Government's remuneration principles and to protect the interest of the taxpayer. In return for taxpayer support provided, both banks have agreed: not to pay discretionary cash bonuses in relation to 2009 performance to any staff earning above £39,000; and executive board members will defer bonus payments due for 2009 until 2012, to ensure that their remuneration is better aligned with the long-term performance of their banks. "UKFI has worked with these banks to implement among the most far reaching reforms of any large bank in the world".
	As regards remuneration practices in the wider banking sector, the Government and FSA are implementing the FSB Standards agreed by G20 members at the Pittsburgh summit. These include benchmark requirements for the structure of remuneration and will ensure there is a consistent international approach. In addition, the Government have announced that where bank (and building society) employees are awarded discretionary bonuses, in whatever form, above £25,000 in the period from the Pre-Budget Report to 5 April 2010, the banks paying these bonuses will pay an additional bank payroll tax of 50 per cent on the excess bonus over £25,000.

Banking: Bonuses

Lord Dykes: To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent discussions they have had with directors and executives of banks about the level of bonuses they set.

Lord Myners: Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings.

Banking: Lloyds

Lord Wilson of Tillyorn: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether Lloyds Banking Group have explained to them why, after seeking to reduce by half payments made under covenant to the Lloyds TSB Foundations, they rejected the counter proposal from Lloyds TSB Foundation Scotland which would ensure that funds continue to be distributed to charities in Scotland.

Lord Myners: The concerns of Foundation for Scotland have been raised with Lloyds Banking Group and we have asked that they are addressed expeditiously. The ongoing discussions are a matter for the foundation and Lloyds Banking Group.

Banking: Lloyds

Lord Stewartby: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will answer HL88, tabled on 19 November by Lord Wilson of Tillyorn relating to the Lloyds TSB Foundation Scotland; and what is the reason for the delay in answering.

Lord Myners: I have today replied to the noble Lord's Question. I apologise for the delay and resolve in the new year to answer all Parliamentary Questions promptly and fully.

Banking: Private Equity

Lord Dykes: To ask Her Majesty's Government what measures they will discuss with representatives of banks about the conduct of private equity companies in take-over activities.

Lord Myners: Mergers and acquisition activity is generally a commercial matter for the boards and shareholders of the companies involved. The Panel on Takeovers and Mergers is the independent body that administers the City Code on Takeovers and Mergers and supervises and regulates takeovers. Its central objective is to ensure fair treatment for all shareholders in takeover bids.

Banking: Royal Bank of Scotland

Lord Dykes: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will exercise their rights as majority shareholders to remove the board members of Royal Bank of Scotland and replace them with new nominees.

Lord Myners: The Government's shareholdings in the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) are managed on a commercial and arm's-length basis by UK Financial Investments Ltd (UKFI). UKFI's objective is to protect and create value for the taxpayer as shareholder, with due regard to the maintenance of financial stability, and to act in a way that promotes competition.
	Under UK company law, the responsibility of boards is to act in the interests of all shareholders, and UKFI will robustly hold the boards of its investee companies to account in this regard.

Child Support Agency

Lord Kirkwood of Kirkhope: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will publish results and policy proposals derived from the Child Support Agency's three-year Operational Improvement Plan, completed in March.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: The outcomes of the Operational Improvement Plan (OIP) which ran from April 2006 to March 2009 can be found in the Child Support Agency (CSA) quarterly statistics.
	The OIP was developed to improve agency performance in the short to medium term while Sir David Henshaw carried out his review of the child maintenance system. Sir David's review was completed in June 2006 and led to the Child Maintenance and Other Payments Act 2008.
	The Child Support Agency (CSA) report on handover to the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission (the commission), published in December 2008, noted that the Operational Improvement Plan was acknowledged to have driven up performance and made the CSA a more businesslike organisation. The commission continues to act upon the findings of the handover report.
	There are no plans to issue any further documentation relating to the OIP.

Children: Forced Labour

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have received about use of illegal child labour, payment of wages less than the minimum, and unsafe working conditions in the Jordan Valley region of the West Bank; and whether they will discuss those matters with the International Labour Organization.

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: We are concerned by non-governmental organisation and media reports that there are Palestinian workers in Israel and in Israeli settlements in the West Bank and Jordan Valley who are paid below the Israeli minimum wage, who do not enjoy the same legal protection as Israeli co-workers and who work in unsafe conditions. Our Consulate General in Jerusalem is currently following up on these reports.

China: Gao Zhisheng

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have made representations to the Government of China about Mr Gao Zhisheng following his arrest and alleged torture in 2004-05.

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: We remain concerned at the case of Gao Zhisheng. We have consistently raised this case with the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We raised it at our 2008 UK/China Human Rights Dialogue in Beijing as part of an individual case list. In this we asked for details of the charges brought against him. The Chinese responded that "he had been sentenced to three years' imprisonment with probation of five years and one year's deprivation of political rights for instigating subversion".
	After co-ordination among EU member states, the EU Presidency raised the case with the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 28 January 2009. We also worked with our European partners to ensure that his case was raised at the last EU/China Human Rights Dialogue on 19 November 2009.
	We will continue to monitor his case and raise it at every appropriate opportunity.

China: Human Rights

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will continue to press for access by the International Committee of the Red Cross to all places of detention in China; and whether they will raise the matter bilaterally and multi-laterally, including at sessions of the European Union-China Human Rights Dialogue.

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: We remain concerned about detention facilities in China and continue to encourage increased transparency in Chinese detention facilities. We do this through our UK/China Human Rights Dialogue, the EU/China Human Rights Dialogue, and through project work.

Climate Change: Carbon Dioxide Emissions

Lord Dykes: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to hold discussions with representatives of the United Kingdom beef and lamb production sectors to reduce their carbon dioxide emission targets for 2020.

Lord Davies of Oldham: Defra Ministers and officials meet regularly with representatives of the England livestock sector including the NFU and EBLEX, the English Beef and Lamb Executive. NFU and EBLEX are working with other livestock organisations and agricultural sectors in England on a greenhouse gas action plan to meet agriculture's low carbon transition plan target for GHG reductions by 2020. EBLEX also recently published part one of its environmental roadmap: Change in the Air- The English Beef and Sheep Production Roadmap.
	The devolved Administrations are responsible for emissions from agriculture in their respective parts of the UK.

Climate Change: Deforestation

Lord Dykes: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will increase aid to Latin American countries to reduce carbon emissions from deforestation.

Lord Brett: Latin America has a vital role to play in reducing emissions from deforestation. The UK presently provides support for reduced deforestation through the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) and the Forest Investment Programme (FIP). Some of the finance administered by these bodies will go to Latin American countries. Levels of finance for reduced deforestation are under negotiation at the climate talks in Copenhagen and we expect these to rise substantially in the years ahead. The UK will meet its share of this.

Climate Change: Population

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what part the controlling of population size plays in the development of their policy on climate change.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Climate change, population growth, energy demands and the fundamental determinants of health such as food and water are all interconnected. Population growth will increase demand for basic services such as food, water and energy. Climate change will make it more difficult to meet these demands, particularly in developing countries. That is why we need to take necessary action to limit climate change by reducing emissions, and help developing countries to adapt to climate change that cannot be avoided.

Counterterrorism

Baroness Falkner of Margravine: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether United Kingdom intelligence and counter-terrorism officials were consulted on the security and public order implications of the publication of the book The Cartoons that Shook the World by Jytte Klausen.

Lord West of Spithead: Security and intelligence officials routinely monitor the security implications of a wide range of matters. The police have the powers needed to deal with public order issues.

Counterterrorism

Baroness Neville-Jones: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord West of Spithead on 2 December (WA 41), what are the public service agreement indicator sets for the Office for Security and Counter-Terrorism

Lord West of Spithead: Further to the Written Answer of 2 December, we can confirm that the public service agreement indicator set for OSCT is classified. Both the PSA indicator set and the data of performance against the PSA contain information about the UK counterterrorism effort that could be potentially useful to those who threaten the UK and its interests. Non-classified material about PSA 26 can be found in the UK's updated counterterrorism strategy, CONTEST.

Court Service: Estate

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: To ask Her Majesty's Government what definition is used of "within reasonable travelling distance" with regard to the rural impact assessment of the closure of the 21 magistrates' courts on which they are consulting.

Lord Bach: HMCS is currently consulting on the proposed closure of 20 magistrates' courts. For each one of these courts a draft impact assessment has been carried out and respondents to the consultation are invited to comment on the potential impacts of closure. The decisions on whether to propose closure were taken on a case-by-case basis. Consideration was given to the proximity of other courts, the size and type of workload generated from the local area, and local transport links. Therefore, HMCS has avoided a generic approach but in all 20 cases, the alternative court is within 30 miles of the court proposed for closure. However, this is not to say that 30 miles would always be the appropriate level for "reasonable travelling distance". In all cases it is possible to travel from the location of the old court to the new court on public transport or, in one case, on a combination of public transport and a local authority-run link service. It should be noted that all these courts were significantly underutilised and, at many of these courts, a representative group, which includes members of the local judiciary, had already decided to stop listing cases.

Court Service: Estate

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: To ask Her Majesty's Government why they concluded in the rural impact assessment on magistrates' courts closures that extra costs for the public will not always be incurred, as suggested by the statement that "there may be travelling expenses for those attending courts"; and in what circumstances travelling expenses would not be incurred.

Lord Bach: The impact assessment is concerned with any additional travelling expenses which a court user may incur if his case were transferred to a new court. However, such additional expenses may not always be incurred. For instance, many citizens are entitled to free travel on public transport, or court users who already had to travel to the old court may have a journey of similar length and expense to the new court. For each court, HMCS has conducted a draft impact assessment and comments on these assessments have been invited from respondents to the consultations. Only once all responses have been analysed will the impact assessment be finalised.

Courts: Northern Ireland

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what number and proportion of criminal cases were heard in (a) the Crown Court, and (b) magistrates' courts, in Northern Ireland in the past three years.

Lord Bach: The Northern Ireland Court Service collects information about criminal cases in Northern Ireland. In the Crown Court, information is collected by case and defendant, In the magistrates' courts and youth court information is collected by defendant. There may be more than one defendant in a case.
	The following table details figures for the last three years for which validated judicial statistics are available. The table shows the number of defendants dealt with in the Crown Court, adult defendants in the magistrates' courts and youth defendants dealt with in the youth court as well as the proportion of criminal defendants dealt with by each court tier.
	
		
			 Year Crown Court Defendants % of Defendants Magistrates' Courts Defendants % of Defendants Youth Court Defendants % of defendants 
			 2006 1543 2.7 53710 92.5 2808 4.8 
			 2007 1818 3.0 55698 91.6 3289 5.4 
			 2008 1733 3.1 51385 91.4 3091 5.5

Crime: Compensation

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will seek to recover the £12,500 offered to Simon Granhof by the UK Border Agency for his two weeks' detention prior to removal from Northern Ireland to Denmark after his prison term ended, in order to meet the costs of any criminal injuries compensation paid to his victim and prison and court costs.

Lord West of Spithead: In July 2009 the Government announced plans to bring in new powers to enable the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) to pursue offenders to recover funds in certain circumstances. Regulations to implement the compensation recovery powers under the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004 will be prepared. The powers under the 2004 Act extend to all convicted offenders (not only prisoners) and would enable recovery of compensation from convicted offenders where their victim has received compensation from the criminal injuries compensation scheme.
	The UK Border Agency has reached an out of court settlement with Mr Granhof. It would be inappropriate to comment further.

Crime: Rape

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many convictions there have been in each of the past three years of persons making false accusations; how many were false accusations of rape or sexual assault; and how many of those convicted were sentenced to imprisonment.

Lord Bach: Persons making a false accusation that a criminal offence has been committed may be proceeded against and found guilty of offences including perverting the course of justice, wasting police time and perjury.
	Statistical information held centrally by the Ministry of Justice on the court proceedings database for England and Wales does not identify the circumstances of the offence. Therefore it is not possible separately to identify those cases resulting in court proceedings that have arisen solely from persons making false accusations.
	Information for Scotland and Northern Ireland are matters for the Scottish Executive and Northern Ireland Office respectively.

Crime: Suspicious Activity Reports

Lord Marlesford: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many individuals have entries on the Elmer database of suspects under the suspicious activity reports regime administered by the Serious Organised Crime Agency; and, of those, how many are the result of reports made anonymously or by unknown sources.

Lord West of Spithead: The Serious Organised Crime Agency's database, known as Elmer, on which suspicious activity reports (SAR) are recorded, does not have the capability to provide information on the number of names held. Each SAR may contain multiple names, and any one name may appear on multiple SARs.
	Out of 228,834 SARs received in the period from October 2008 to September 2009, 68 were recorded as coming from an anonymous reporter and 115 from an unknown reporter.

Criminal Records Bureau

Lord Lucas: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the announcement by the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families on 14 December concerning Criminal Records Bureau checks, whether they plan to require families intending to educate their children at home to be subject to such checks.

Baroness Morgan of Drefelin: There is absolutely no question of local authorities CRB-checking home educating parents, nor of ISA registration being required in future.
	Vetting and barring arrangements that are appropriate for people working with children do not apply to family members.

Czech Republic: Roma Citizens

Baroness Whitaker: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made, bilaterally or through the European Union, to the Government of the Czech Republic about any discrimination against their Roma citizens.

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: There have been no recent specific representations. However, the Government are committed to protecting human rights of persons belonging to minority groups. This includes Roma people. We condemn all instances of persecution and discrimination against individuals and groups wherever they occur. The British Embassy in Prague, in line with all Foreign and Commonwealth Office's overseas missions, has a responsibility to monitor and raise human rights in the host country.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Tanzania about arms trafficking into the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: These allegations were discussed in a recent bilateral between the Foreign Secretary and the Tanzanian Foreign Minister at the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting. The Government of Tanzania have released a public statement denying any allegations of Tanzanian Government involvement. The Tanzanian police have announced that they will be conducting an investigation into the allegations in the report.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to strengthen the due diligence process for United Kingdom companies operating in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: The Government encourage UK-registered companies to follow the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises. The Government also promote the OECD Risk Awareness Tool for Multinational Enterprises in Weak Governance Zones which assists companies in applying a due diligence process in countries where Governments are unwilling or unable to assume their responsibilities.
	Government officials overseas also play a significant role in encouraging UK companies towards a due diligence approach (particularly in weak governance/conflict zones). Government's Business and Human Rights Toolkit, which explains how business operations may affect human rights, actions staff can take overseas to promote human rights, and guidance on complaints against UK companies using the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's National Contact Point can be accessed on the Foreign and Commonwealth website at http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/global-issues/human-rights/
	The Government are an active member of the EU Task Force on the issue of Natural Resource Exploitation and Conflict, in which we have helped bring the private sector and non-governmental organisations together to address questions of due diligence in the mining sector in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
	The UK has worked with UN Security Council partners on the renewal and expansion of the sanctions regime in the DRC (Resolution 1896 (2009) was adopted by the Security Council on 30 November 2009). This new resolution mandates the Group of Experts to come up with recommendations to the Committee for guidelines on the exercise of due diligence to prevent indirect support to armed groups through the exploitation and trafficking of natural resources in the DRC.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made about United Kingdom companies and individuals named in the report of the United Nations Group of Experts on the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: The Group of Experts has made recommendations for sanctioning individuals and entities. As I am sure you understand, we do not advise on whom the UK has recommended, or will be recommending, for sanctions. This is purely for practical purposes as to do so would give the individuals/companies concerned the opportunity to avoid the effects of any future asset freezes.
	I can however assure you that the UK takes its obligations under the Democratic Republic of Congo sanctions regime very seriously and will not hesitate to support sanctions against any person or company against whom there is sufficient evidence. That could of course include UK-based companies or individuals.

East Midlands Development Agency

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: To ask Her Majesty's Government why the East Midlands Development Agency has a minimum project size of £25,000 for funding assistance to livestock farmers; and whether all regional development agencies have the same limit.

Lord Davies of Abersoch: The East Midlands Development Agency (EMDA) does not have a minimum project size for funding assistance to livestock farmers.
	The minimum project size for funding assistance to livestock farmers across eight regional development agencies (RDAs) varies from no minimum project size (four RDAs) to a minimum project size of £6,250.
	This is not applicable to the London Development Agency given that London is an urban region.
	Note: If a project is a water recycling project on a livestock farm and the applicant is in a catchment sensitive farming area, there is a minimum project size of £10,000 due to demarcation requirements against the Catchment Sensitive Farming Scheme.

Education: Extremist Groups

Baroness Neville-Jones: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many teachers have been (a) investigated, (b) disciplined, and (c) removed from post, because of links to (1) extremist, and (2) proscribed, groups in each year since 1997.

Baroness Morgan of Drefelin: Membership of a proscribed organisation is a criminal offence. The department does not hold information relating to criminal investigations which are a matter for the police.
	Membership of an organisation which is not proscribed would not, in and of itself, be grounds for disciplinary action against a teacher or for barring an individual from teaching or working with children.
	The General Teaching Council for England can take disciplinary measures against a registered teacher found to be in breach of the GTCE Statement of Principles and Code of Conduct and Practice. The sanctions available to the GTC include removing unsuitable teachers from the register, with the effect that the person cannot teach in a maintained school.
	In the past year there has been one referral of a teacher to the GTC where the individual was accused of accessing material of a racist nature on a school laptop. The GTC reached a decision on three further cases in 2008 where the referrals were associated with racism.

Education: Extremist Groups

Baroness Neville-Jones: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps are taken to prevent (a) extremists, and (b) members of proscribed groups, from (1) becoming teachers, and (2) working with young people.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what vetting procedures are in place to prevent (a) extremists, and (b) members of proscribed groups, from (1) becoming teachers and (2) working with young people.

Baroness Morgan of Drefelin: For maintained schools, the responsibility for considering the professional suitability of registered teachers, whether potential new recruits or existing members of the teaching profession, lies with the individual school governing bodies and with local authorities. The department has provided detailed guidance on the necessary checks which should be carried out before engaging a teacher. These checks involve checking the individual's identity, their academic qualifications and previous employment history, taking up professional and character references, and applying to the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) for mandatory checks on the individual's criminal background and whether they are included on the lists that are maintained by the Independent Safeguarding Authority.
	For independent schools, the proprietor is responsible for carrying out the checks on their staff. Proprietors themselves must have a criminal background check as part of assessing their suitability and the Secretary of State has powers under the Education Act 2002 to prohibit unsuitable individuals from taking part in the management of an independent school.
	Similar requirements for criminal background checks currently apply in children's social care and in registered childcare settings. In voluntary settings where individuals work with children and young people but which are not regulated by the Government, such as the churches or the Scouts for example, organisers are eligible to conduct CRB checks and we advise them to do so.
	Individuals wishing to become teachers or to work with children in regulated activity must be registered with the Vetting and Barring Scheme when the registration requirements under the new scheme are phased in from next year. Where relevant safeguarding information is found by the CRB or Access Northern Ireland during the vetting process, this information will be passed to the Independent Safeguarding Authority. The ISA will consider this and other information that it may hold or gather on a person to determine if the person poses a future risk of harm to children. An ISA children's list bar would prevent an individual from working with children in any instance of regulated activity with children.
	The Secretary of State has appointed Maurice Smith, former HM Chief Inspector of Schools, to consider the issue of racism in schools. The review is looking at the measures currently in place to prevent political impartiality, racially motivated discrimination and the promotion of partisan activities in our schools, and whether these need strengthening. Although Mr Smith has been asked to focus on the maintained sector the review is also taking evidence from the independent sector. He is due to report at the end of January 2010 and we will consider the findings carefully before deciding whether any further measures are required to strengthen those already in place.

Education: Extremist Groups

Baroness Neville-Jones: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (a) students, and (b) teaching staff, at (1) universities, (2) colleges, and (3) sixth form colleges, have been referred to the Channel Project since its inception.

Lord West of Spithead: Nationally, the Channel Project has received 228 referrals between April 2007 and December 2008. Channel works with a wide range of partners to support individuals identified as vulnerable to violent extremism. Any further level of detail is an operational matter at a local level. We would not release such information in order to protect partners locally.
	The known age range of those referred to Channel as potentially vulnerable to violent extremism and in need of multi-agency support was 7-50 years;the majority of referrals were aged between 15-24 years;of those referred to Channel as potentially vulnerable to violent extremism and in need of multi-agency support, 93 per cent were male.

Education: Extremist Groups

Baroness Neville-Jones: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many students have been (a) charged with, and (b) convicted of, offences under terrorism legislation in each year since 1997.

Lord West of Spithead: The Home Office does not hold statistics which are recorded in this way. However, the Home Office does collate statistics on the number of terrorism arrests and outcomes and these are included in a bulletin published for the first time on 13 May 2009 (Statistics on Terrorism Arrests and Outcomes Great Britain 11 September 2001 to 31 March 2008). The first edition of the bulletin is available at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs09/hosb0409.pdf.
	The second issue of the bulletin was published on 26 November 2009 and is available via the link below at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs09/hosb809.pdf.

Education: Home Schooling

Lord Lucas: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Baroness Morgan of Drefelin on 10 December (HL433), why they consider that individual children might be identified as a result of data released combined with other data publicly available.

Baroness Morgan of Drefelin: The department's policy is to employ statistical disclosure controls to ensure that statistics including those collected for research purposes do not reveal the identity of an individual, or any private information relating to them, taking into account other relevant sources of information. These statistical disclosure controls protect against both specific known risks and more general risks including unknown risks.
	The figures provided by Birmingham on the number of electively home educated children who were subject of a child protection plan are small and we are not releasing them for these reasons.
	The department keeps its statistical disclosure controls under review to ensure that arrangements for confidentiality protection are sufficient to protect the privacy of individual information, but not so restrictive as to limit unduly the practical utility of the statistics.
	We provided a frequency distribution histogram to assist users in understanding the range of data provided by different local authorities that can be found at http:www.dcsf.gov.uk/everychildmatters/ete/independentreviewofhomeeducation/irhomeeducation/.

Education: Home Schooling

Lord Lucas: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Baroness Morgan of Drefelin on 10 December (HL433), why they consider that the release of the questionnaire could make local authorities reluctant to cooperate with departmental surveys in the future, given that many authorities have already released this information.

Baroness Morgan of Drefelin: Local authorities responding to requests for information from central government, or contributing to reviews such as that conducted by Graham Badman, must be able to freely and frankly express their views, and provide examples and evidence, about what is working and what needs to change. Local authorities provided information in the expectation that it would remain confidential and any breach of confidence could make local authorities reluctant to participate in similar data gathering exercises in future.
	There are two specific concerns in addition to the general concern that there must be space for officials to express their views freely and frankly. The first concern is that some of the information provided by local authorities related to small numbers, or individual, children and there is a risk that these individuals could be identified if the data we held were combined with other information, including newspaper reports, or could in the future be combined with other information released under the Freedom of Information Act. Secondly, where the home educators are unwilling to co-operate with local authorities, some local authority officials have difficult relationships with some home educators in their area and then releasing this information could make their relationship worst.
	They have observed the campaign of vilification and harassment against Graham Badman and are concerned that they too could be targeted by home educators locally if their responses were released.
	We and individual local authorities keep the release of data under review, bearing in mind the nature and intensity of harassment and the risks this indicates. Some local authorities have decided that the risks to individual children and their employees are sufficiently low to release the questionnaire responses. These assessments can only be made at local level and bearing in mind the circumstances prevailing at a particular point in time.

Education: Home Schooling

Lord Lucas: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Baroness Morgan of Drefelin on 10 December (HL433), why the release of the reply to a questionnaire might lead to harassment if the existence of that reply has not; and on what evidence that statement was based.

Baroness Morgan of Drefelin: We cannot say with absolute certainty that releasing Birmingham City Council's responses to the questionnaires would lead to harassment and vilification of specific individuals in the authority. This does, however, appear to the department to be a likely outcome. The internet campaign of vilification and harassment against Graham Badman and individual home educators who have declared they support aspects of the review has worried local authority officers. Some have suffered personal harassment through the internet, some have found individual home educators have ceased to co-operate with the local authority and others have come under severe pressure from repeated Freedom of Information Act requests which seem intended more to disrupt their day-to-day work than genuinely to be seeking relevant information.
	We and individual local authorities keep the release of data under review, bearing in mind the nature and intensity of harassment and the risks this indicates. Some local authorities have decided that the risks to individual children and their employees are sufficiently low to release the questionnaire responses. These assessments can only be made at local level and bearing in mind the circumstances prevailing at a particular point in time.

Embryology

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Baroness Thornton on 9 November (WA 111) and the ensuing letter from the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority Chief Executive on 9 November, how many human eggs were expected to be used under research licence R0122 in the initial licence application and subsequent renewals or extensions of that licence; how many human embryos were expected to be used under that licence; and how the expected numbers compared to the actual usage of human eggs and embryos respectively under that licence.

Baroness Thornton: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised that the Newcastle Fertility Centre at LIFE applied for research licence R0122 in March 2000. The centre indicated, in its initial application, that the project would use 400 embryos and 0 eggs per year. A two-year licence was granted, covering the period 21 June 2000 until 30 June 2002.
	The centre applied to renew this licence in February 2002. In its renewal application, the centre indicated that the project would use 300 embryos and 0 eggs per year. A three-year licence was granted, from 1 April 2003 until 30 March 2006. The centre also reported, as part of its renewal application, that between 16 October 2000 and 29 January 2002 it had used 275 embryos and 0 eggs in the project.
	A progress report submitted during the course of the renewed licence stated that 227 embryos and 0 eggs were used in the project during the period 6 May 2003 until 16 March 2004.
	The HFEA is not statutorily obliged to hold data on the number of embryos and eggs used in licensed research projects and these data are not recorded on the authority's register. However, research centres submit snapshots of data, regarding the number of embryos and eggs used in research projects, to the HFEA in licence applications and progress reports. This allows the HFEA to ensure that the proposed use still fulfils the criteria of the research licence.

Embryology

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Baroness Thornton on 9 November (WA 111), what were the numbers of fresh and failed-to-fertilise eggs expected to be used under research licence R0152 in the corresponding time periods, as described in the initial licence application and subsequent renewals or extensions of the licence.

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what were the dates in the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) inspection report for licence R0152 that quoted "a lack of suitable oocytes for use in the study"; how many human oocytes had been used in total according to that report; whether they will place a full copy of that report in the Library of the House; and whether oocytes that a researcher might subsequently deem to be unsuitable would be erased from the HFEA's records of total oocyte usage.

Baroness Thornton: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised that the Newcastle Fertility Centre at LIFE applied for a research licence R0152 to study the derivation of human embryonic stem cells using nuclear transfer and parthenogenetically activated oocytes (eggs) in 2004. The centre indicated, in its initial application, that the project would use 100 fresh oocytes and 900 failed-to-fertilise oocytes per year. A one-year licence was granted for the period 18 August 2004 until 31 July 2005.
	The centre applied to renew this licence in April 2005. The centre indicated, in its renewal application, that the project would use 100 fresh oocytes and 900 failed-to-fertilise oocytes per year. A three-year licence was granted for the period 1 August 2005 until 31 July 2008.
	The centre applied to renew this licence a second time in April 2008. The centre indicated, in its renewal application, that the project would use 400 fresh oocytes and 200 failed-to-fertilise oocytes per year. A three-year licence was granted for the period 1 August 2008 until 31 July 2011.
	The HFEA has also advised that the report that quoted "a lack of suitable oocytes for use in the study" was the report of the inspection of the centre carried out in June 2005. This report covered the work carried out since the licence was granted in August 2004. This report stated that 26 fresh oocytes and 10 failed-to-fertilise oocytes had been used in the research project.
	Centres are now asked to provide information on the number of failed-to-fertilise oocytes and embryos donated for use in a licensed project and the number actually used in the licensed project.
	The HFEA does not plan to place a full copy of the report in the Library. The latest inspection reports for every licensed research project are available on the authority's website (www.hfea.gov.uk).

Employment

Lord Bates: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Mr Liam Byrne, on 11 November (HC Deb, col 591W), how many net additional jobs have been created, as opposed to supported, by their stimulus measures.

Lord Myners: The fiscal stimulus taken forward by the Government in the 2008 Pre-Budget Report and Budget 2009, along with the Bank of England cutting interest rates and embarking on quantitative easing, has supported the economy and meant that employment is now substantially higher than it would otherwise have been.
	Unemployment has also increased by a significantly smaller rate compared to output than during the 1990s.
	The Government have directly taken steps to provide 170,000 jobs through the Future Jobs Fund. Jobs will last for six months, and will target young people and those in areas hardest hit by the downturn.

Energy: Renewables

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will allocate a proportion of the tax revenues from oil, gas and coal to a fund to develop efficient technologies for renewable energy.

Lord Myners: Tax revenues from oil, gas and coal are pooled in the Consolidated Fund so that the public spending they finance can be prioritised across all government activities in the most efficient way.
	During the current spending period (2008-11) government policies are helping to drive over £6 billion of investment in renewable technologies. Additionally, at Budget 2009, the Chancellor announced a package of measures to remove tax barriers to projects that re-use North Sea oil and gas infrastructure for other activities, such as carbon capture and storage.

Equality

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will introduce legislation necessary to secure equality between spouses to enable them to sign and ratify Protocol No 7 to the European Convention on Human Rights by (a) abolishing the common law duty of a husband to maintain his wife, (b) abolishing the presumption of advancement in respect of gifts between husbands and wives, engaged couples and fathers and their children, and (c) amending section 1 of the Married Women's Property Act 1964 in respect of money or property derived from housekeeping allowance so that it applies equally to husband and wife, and to equalise the position of civil partners in respect of housekeeping allowances by amending the Civil Partnership Act 2004.

Lord Bach: The Government are committed to signing and ratifying protocol 7 to the European Convention on Human Rights as soon as the necessary legislative changes have been made.
	In order to fulfil Article 5 of the protocol, which demands equality between spouses, it is necessary to abolish the common law duty of a man to maintain his wife, abolish the presumption of advancement in respect of gifts between husbands and wives, engaged couples and fathers and their children, and to extend this provision to Northern Ireland, and amend Section 1 of the Married Women's Property Act 1964 to provide that money or property derived from a housekeeping allowance will belong to both spouses in equal shares (in the absence of an agreement to the contrary).
	It would also be desirable simultaneously to amend the Civil Partnership Act 2004 to equalise the position of civil partners in respect of money or property derived from housekeeping allowances, although we do not think it is strictly necessary in order to fulfil the requirements of article 5 of the protocol.
	We will continue actively to seek a suitable legislative vehicle for these changes.

European Union: Scrutiny Reserve

Lord Roper: To ask Her Majesty's Government for each department, in January to June 2009 (a) on how many occasions the scrutiny reserve resolution in the House of Lords was overridden, (b) on how many occasions the scrutiny reserve resolution in the House of Commons was overridden, and (c) in respect of how many documents an override occurred in both Houses or either House.

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: The latest report shows there were a total of 14 instruments which Ministers supported in the Council before one or both of our Parliamentary EU Committees had completed their scrutiny. Of these 14, all were overrides while still under scrutiny in the Lords, but in the Commons six of them had cleared the scrutiny process so only eight instruments are recorded as overridden for the Commons.

Extremist Organisations

Baroness Neville-Jones: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people have been (a) deported from the United Kingdom for "fomenting extremism", and (b) barred from coming to the United Kingdom on that ground, in each year since 2005.

Lord West of Spithead: I have taken the term "fomenting extremism" as equating to unacceptable behaviour under the policy announced by my right honourable friend the then Home Secretary on 24 August 2005. The powers to exclude or deport an individual on the grounds of their unacceptable behaviour are directed at foreign nationals who foment hatred or violence in support of their extremist beliefs. I can confirm that during the period in question, 106 individuals were excluded and one individual was deported on these grounds and a yearly breakdown is provided below.
	
		
			 2005 (a) 0 (b) 21 
			 2006 (a) 1 (b) 33 
			 2007 (a) 0 (b) 21 
			 2008 (a) 0 (b) 12 
			 2009 (a) 0 (b) 19 
		
	
	These figures do not constitute part of National Statistics as they are based on internal management information. The information has not been quality assured under National Statistics protocols, should be treated as provisional and are subject to change.

Finance: Trading of Derivatives

Lord Lucas: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have estimated the percentage of derivative traders in London who deal in (a) the hedging of risks generated by non-financial transactions, (b) the hedging of risks generated by financial transactions, and (c) speculation.

Lord Myners: In the UK, the overall aim in regulating derivative markets is to ensure a high degree of investor protection, that markets are fair and orderly, and that market abuse is prevented as far as possible and, where it occurs, is detected and dealt with appropriately. This is consistent for all users of the market.
	In order to discharge the responsibility to deter and detect market abuse, the FSA and UK derivative exchanges focus on all large positions in commodity derivative markets, irrespective of whether they are held by financial or commercial participants, on an ongoing and real-time basis. Neither the FSA nor UK exchanges currently collect or make available aggregated position information by participant type.

Finance: Trading of Derivatives

Lord Lucas: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the current value of the financial derivatives market in London on the basis of (a) notional principal, and (b) the amount at risk in the event of a major financial crisis.

Lord Myners: The Bank for International Settlements (BIS) provides an estimate for the size of the London and global derivatives markets. As at 2007, BIS estimates that London had 43 per cent of the global OTC derivatives market (compared to New York at 24 per cent) based on an overall size of c. $415 trillion. Whilst this is a high notional figure, it simply represents the value of the assets on which the contracts are based. The risk exposure, represented by actual cash flows, is considerably smaller.
	Compression of trades has addressed much of this risk. The UK supports ongoing international efforts to further strengthen market infrastructures such as the establishment of trade repositories and encouraging greater use of central counterparties. These measures will help to monitor and measure systemic risk.
	On 16 December, Government will publish a package of policy proposals, designed to mitigate the impact of a future investment bank failure. The document, entitled Establishing resolution arrangements for investment banks, sets out more than 30 proposals to ensure an investment firm can be wound down effectively, with limited impacts on clients and counterparties of the failed firm, and on financial markets. These proposals form part of Government's broader agenda of work to reduce the likelihood, and impact, of failure in systemic financial firms.

Finance: Trading of Derivatives

Lord Lucas: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the net earnings of the London financial community from trading in financial derivatives; where the corresponding loss from London's earnings on derivatives is borne; and what are the tax revenues from those earnings.

Lord Myners: HMRC's systems do not allow tax receipts from derivatives to be identified separately from other sources of profit. Consequently, these systems do not provide a breakdown of the net earnings derived from trading in financial derivatives. However, the usual corporate, income and capital gains taxes that apply to businesses and individuals involved with financial instruments will all apply. As in any business enterprise, in the first instance the losses on derivative instruments are borne by the relevant business entity.

Financial Services Authority

Lord Lucas: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people are employed by the Financial Services Authority to investigate the risk management of banks; and, of those, how many have qualifications in risk management.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Financial Services Authority, in assessing the risk factors applying to each bank, (a) examines the trading strategy of each individual trader, (b) examines the mathematical models used by the bank, (c) reviews the mathematical models used, (d) compares the mathematical models used by different banks, and (e) quantifies the systemic risk arising from the use of trading strategies and mathematical models with common characteristics.

Lord Myners: The issues raised in these questions are operational matters for the Financial Services Authority, whose day-to-day operations are independent from Government. I have asked the FSA to write directly to the noble Lord on these matters.

Flood and Water Management Bill

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: To ask Her Majesty's Government on what data they based their cost comparisons regarding the Flood and Water Management Bill.

Lord Davies of Oldham: The information on the sources of data used in determining costs in the flow bills are provided within the individual impact assessments (IA), available on the Defra website at www.defra.gov.uk/environment/flooding/policy/fwmb/key-docs.htm.
	The table below provides a list of the key data sources used in determining the costs for each IA, and the location of the source within the relevant IA.
	
		
			 IA Title Data Source Location within IA 
			 Designation of Third Party Flood and Coastal Risk Management Assets (Features) Environment Agency's National Flood and Coastal Defence Database Annexe C 
			  2004 National Assessment of Defence Needs and Costs Annexe C 
			  Estimates for other costs provided by the Environment Agency from experience Annexe C 
			 Local Flood Risk and the increased use of Sustainable Drainage Systems Collating the Urban Drainage Evidence Base CIRIA 2008 Page 36 
			  Halcrow Group Limited Impact Assessment of Local Flood Risk Management Supplementary Evidence Base (August 2009) Page 52 
			  Pitt Review Page 53 
			 Reservoir Safety Cost estimates provided by institutional owners of the resource Annexe 3 
			  Environment Agency Reservoirs Register for Large Reservoirs Annexe 3 
			  Environment Agency provided estimates of Small Reservoirs from work undertaken by Halcrow Annexe 3

Gaza

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress has been made into the investigation of alleged war crimes during Operation Cast Lead, as called for by the Report of the United Nations Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict.

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: We understand from the Israeli authorities that investigations are under way or completed into 140 separate incidents, including all 34 incidents highlighted by the UN Fact Finding Mission on Gaza report. We await the publication of the conclusions of these investigations.
	The Palestinian Authority has formed a high-level committee, drawing on expertise from the Independent Commission for Human Rights (a respected regional organisation). This committee will only be investigating allegations made by the UN Fact Finding Mission on Gaza report directed at the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank.
	Media reports indicate that Hamas has also announced its own investigation.
	We are clear that any allegations of breaches of international humanitarian law that may have occurred during the Gaza conflict should be addressed through full, credible and independent investigations.

Gaza

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what reports they have received from the Middle East concerning helicopter gunship incursions over Gaza since the end of Operation Cast Lead.

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: We have not received specific reports detailing Israeli helicopter movements over Gaza. However, according to the UN, the Israeli Defence Forces have carried out a range of military operations throughout 2009, including air strikes. The targets were mainly tunnels under the border with Egypt.
	The UK recognises Israel's right to defend itself but calls upon the Israeli Government to act with restraint and in accordance with international law.

Gilt-edged Securities

Lord Higgins: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the value of gilt-edged securities issued by them in each of the past six months; and what was the value of such securities purchased by the Bank of England in each of the past six months.

Lord Myners: The table below sets out (cash) sales of gilts by the Debt Management Office and (cash, reported on a trade date basis) purchases of gilts by the Bank of England via the Asset Purchase Facility in each of the last six months.
	
		
			  May June July August September October 
			 DMO issuance (£bn) 14.25 24.27 28.18 8.12 27.95 26.03 
			 Bank QE purchases (£bn) 25.99 29.37 22.51 12.60 21.00 16.80

Gold and Cassiterite

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the Governments of Uganda, Burundi and the United Arab Emirates about the gold and cassiterite trading network in those countries, in which the Rwandan Liberation Democratic Forces are involved.

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: We have encouraged the Government of Burundi to exert tighter controls over their borders to prevent the illegal trade of natural resources by those companies identified by the Group of Experts' report.
	We have not made any representations to the Governments of Uganda or the United Arab Emirates in the past 18 months on the local gold and cassiterite trading networks.
	In the Great Lakes region, the UK has been working with the respective revenue and trade authorities and regional economic entities. Through governance reform programmes and initiatives to support greater regional economic integration, we aim to make trade-including of minerals like gold and cassiterite-more accountable and formalised, in order to reduce smuggling and illegal trade. We believe that this support and dialogue is having a beneficial impact, although we recognise that it will take some time before trade in the region becomes fully regulated.

Government Debt

Lord Marlesford: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much government debt is due for repayment in each of the next 24 months; and what is the date and rate of interest at which each such debt was issued.

Lord Myners: The tables below show the government marketable securities that are maturing in the next 24 months. The dates that the instrument was issued and the yield at the average accepted price for each operation is also given. Table 1 shows redemptions of gilts in the next 24 months and table 2 shows redemptions of Treasury bills as they currently stand.
	The maturity profile for NS&I's products by month of repayment in each of the next 24 months is not publicly available. A general maturity profile for NS&I's products is available in NS&I's Annual Report and Accounts 2008-09, page 101. (www.nsandi.com/about/annualreport-latest.jsp).
	Table 1: Redemptions of gilts
	
		
			  Issue dates Yield at issue Nominal amount issued (£ million) Redemption date 
			 53/4% Treasury Stock 2009 30 July 1998 5.720% 2500 07 December 2009 
			  29 September 1999 5.700% 2750  
			  13 August 2004 4.990% 2500  
			  07 January 2009 0.898% 15501  
			 Total   9250  
			 43/4% Treasury Stock 2010 19 November 2004 4.602% 3500 07 June 2010 
			  21 January 2005 4.534% 3000  
			  25 February 2005 4.762% 2750  
			  29 April 2005 4.520% 3000  
			  04 April 2008 4.015% 3750  
			 Total   16000  
			 61/4% Treasury Stock 2010 27 January 1994 6.400% 2750 25 November 2010 
			  28 Jul 1994 8.300% 2000  
			 Total   4750  
			 41/4% Treasury Gilt 2011 09 November 2005 4.468% 3250 07 March 2011 
			  27 January 2006 4.267% 3000  
			  23 June 2006 4.7950% 2500  
			  22 September 2006 4.852% 2500  
			  30 November 2006 4.838% 2500  
			  22 October 2008 3.848% 4750  
			 Total   18500  
			 9% Conversion Loan 2011 19 July 1991 9.870% 1000 12 July 2011 
			  28 November 1991 9.750% 1500  
			  10 Aril 1992 9.210% 200  
			  16 February 1993 8.510% 1350  
			  01 October 1993 7.300% 1000  
			 Total   5050  
			 21/2% Index-linked Treasury Stock 2011 28 January 1982 3.140% 750 23 August 2011 
			  17 December 1984 3.080% 100  
			  17 May 1985 3.280% 150  
			  27 March 1987 3.320% 150  
			  03-Feb-88 3.95% 100  
			  13-Apr-88 3.77% 100  
			  10-May-91 4.19% 100  
			  08-May-92 4.44% 100  
			  08-Oct-93 3.14% 250  
			  15-Apr-94 3.38% 150  
			  29-Jun-94 3.90% 150  
			  02-Jun-95 3.51% 100  
			  26-Oct-95 3.68% 150  
			  11-Dec-95 3.48% 150  
			  18-Apr-96 3.70% 200  
			  17-Jun-96 3.89% 150  
			  17-Jan-97 3.49% 100  
			  04-Jul-97 3.55% 150  
			  29-Jul-99 2.19% 375  
			  26-Apr-01 2.59% 400  
			  24-Oct-03 2.10% 400  
			 Total   4275  
		
	
	Note that the DMO sometimes issues gilts to itself in order to use them as collateral in its cash management operations. These issues and the corresponding government holdings figures have not been included in this table as they do not contribute to redemptions payments.
	Table 2: Redemptions of Treasury bills
	
		
			 Issue Date Amount on Offer (£ million nominal) Average Yield (%) Redemption Date Month Total (£ million) 
			 08-Jun-09 1000 0.5473 December 2009 14000 
			 07-Sep-09 1500 0.3655 December 2009 14000 
			 09-Nov-09 1000 0.4133 December 2009 14000 
			 15-Jun-09 1000 0.5520 December 2009 14000 
			 14-Sep-09 1500 0.3858 December 2009 14000 
			 16-Nov-09 1000 0.4227 December 2009 14000 
			 22-Jun-09 1000 0.5510 December 2009 14000 
			 21-Sep -09 1500 0.3674 December 2009 14000 
			 23-Nov-09 1000 0.4288 December 2009 14000 
			 29-Jun-09 1000 0.5420 December 2009 14000 
			 28-Sep-09 1500 0.3878 December 2009 14000 
			 30-Nov-09 1000 0.4476 December 2009 14000 
			 06-Jul-09 1000 0.5250 January 2009 10000 
			 05-Oct-09 1500 0.3980 January 2009 10000 
			 13-Jul-09 1000 0.5035 January 2009 10000 
			 12-Oct-09 1500 0.4158 January 2009 10000 
			 20-Jul-09 1000 0.4777 January 2009 10000 
			 19-Oct-09 1500 0.4319 January 2009 10000 
			 27-Jul-09 1000 0.4696 January 2009 10000 
			 26-Oct-09 1500 0.4587 January 2009 10000 
			 03-Aug-09 1000 0.4624 February 2009 10000 
			 02-Nov-09 1500 0.4556 February 2009 10000 
			 10-Aug-09 1000 0.4949 February 2009 10000 
			 09-Nov-09 1500 0.4527 February 2009 10000 
			 17-Aug-09 1000 0.4332 February 2009 10000 
			 16-Nov-09 1500 0.4597 February 2009 10000 
			 24-Aug-09 1000 0.4187 February 2009 10000 
			 23-Nov-09 1500 0.4522 February 2009 10000 
			 01-Sep-09 1000 0.3900 March 2010 6500 
			 30-Nov-09 1500 0.4573 March 2010 6500 
			 07-Sep-09 1000 0.3760 March 2010 6500 
			 14-Sep-09 1000 0.3777 March 2010 6500 
			 21-Sep-09 1000 0.3538 March 2010 6500 
			 28-Sep-09 1000 0.3761 March 2010 6500 
			 05-Oct-09 1000 0.3958 April 2010 4000 
			 12-Oct-09 1000 0.4259 April 2010 4000 
			 19-Oct-09 1000 0.4459 April 2010 4000 
			 26-Oct-09 1000 0.4819 April 2010 4000 
			 02-Nov-09 1000 0.4769 May 2010 4000 
			 09-Nov-09 1000 0.4899 May 2010 4000 
			 16-Nov-09 1000 0.4926 May 2010 4000 
			 23-Nov-09 1000 0.4662 May 2010 4000 
			 30-Nov-09 1000 0.4684 June 2010 1000

Government Departments: Bonuses

Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: To ask Her Majesty's Government for each of the last three years for which figures are available, how many people were eligible for performance bonuses and special bonuses in the Department for Work and Pensions and its agencies, by civil service band; how many people received each type of bonus, by civil service band; what the average payment was for each type of bonus, by civil service band; and what the maximum payment was for each type of bonus, by civil service band.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: There are two pay-related reward schemes operating in the Department for Work and Pensions and its agencies for which all employees are potentially eligible. They comprise end-of-year non-consolidated performance payments and in-year special awards. These are an integral element of the reward package for staff. They help drive high performance in DWP by providing a tangible reward for good performance. The payments must be re-earned each year and, as they are non-consolidated, do not add to future pay bill costs.
	End of Year non-consolidated performance payments
	DWP employees below the Senior Civil Service are eligible for an annual non-consolidated performance payment if they attain a "Top", "Higher" or "Majority" rating under the department's annual performance and development system. The actual payment awarded is determined by the employee's pay band and the performance level achieved.
	For the Senior Civil Service, end-of-year non-consolidated performance payments are determined by the relevant departmental pay committee in line with the recommendations of the independent Senior Salaries Review Body. The total payments made in respect of each of the last three financial years were as follows:
	
		
			 Financial Year Total number of recipients Total Paid (£m) Average payment 
			 2006-07 116,096 40.68 350.40 
			 2007-08 111,943 36.61 327.04 
			 2008-09 107,726 23.32 216.48 
		
	
	The following tables show these figures broken down by between staff in the Senior Civil Service and those below.
	Total below SCS
	
		
			 Financial Year Total number of recipients Total Paid (£m) Average payment (£) 
			 2006-07 115,896 39.01 336.59 
			 2007-08 111,741 34.88 312.15 
			 2008-09 107,518 21.50 199.97 
		
	
	Total SCS
	
		
			 Financial Year Total number of recipients Total Paid (£m) Average payment (£) 
			 2006-07 200 1.67 8,350 
			 2007-08 202 1.73 8,564 
			 2008-09 208 1.82 8,750 
		
	
	Special Awards
	Individuals may be awarded a special award either as cash or retail vouchers. These are one-off recognition awards, payable at any time during the performance year, to recognise exceptional achievements beyond what would normally be expected.
	Information on special awards paid prior to 2007-08 is not available. The total number of awards made in each of the last two years were as follows (a small number of individuals may have received more than one cash or voucher payment during the year in question).
	Cash Payments
	
		
			 Financial Year Total number of awards Total Paid (£m) Average payment (£) 
			 2007-08 11,250 2.70 240 
			 2008-09 14,612 3.04 208 
		
	
	Voucher Payments
	
		
			 Financial Year Total number of vouchers issued Total Cost (£m) Value 
			 2006-07 14,392 0.9 Between £25 and £50 
			 2007-08 31,237 1.77 Between £25 and £50 
			 2008-09 47,121 2.02 Between 225 and £50 
		
	
	Any further breakdowns by grade, beyond those given above, could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Government Departments: Bonuses

Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: To ask Her Majesty's Government for each of the last three years for which figures are available, how many people were eligible for performance bonuses and special bonuses in HM Revenue and Customs and its agencies, by civil service band; how many people received each type of bonus, by civil service band; what the average payment was for each type of bonus, by civil service band; and what the maximum payment was for each type of bonus, by civil service band.

Lord Myners: HM Revenue and Customs-HMRC-operates two bonus arrangements for delegated grades; a performance bonus tied to the annual performance mark, and a recognition bonus scheme which recognises exceptional in-year performance.
	We have provided data for bonuses paid out in 2007-08 and 2008-09. HMRC does not hold the required data for earlier years in an easily accessible format and the information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Performance Bonuses-In 2007-08 bonus payments were made to top and good performers in respect of performance in 2006-07 on the pay band range maximum, as they had received a lower consolidated pay award. The rate for top performers was 2.6 per cent of their salary as of 31 May 2007. Staff on the maximum of their pay scales who received a good marking received up to 1.27 per cent of their salary as a non-consolidated payment.
	In 2008-09 bonuses were only paid to top performers in respect of performance in 2007-08. The rate for top performers was 2.4 per cent of their salary as of 31 May 2008.
	Data on 2009-10 bonuses for performance in 2008-09 are not yet available for HMRC. Bonuses are only payable to top performers. The rate for top performers in 2009-10 is 2.6 per cent.
	
		
			  2007-08 2008-09 
			  Number Eligible for Bonus (1) Number Awarded Average Bonus (£) Maximum Bonus (£) (2) Number Eligible for Bonus (1) Number Awarded Average Bonus (£) Maximum Bonus (£) (2) 
			 Admin Assistant 13606 8456 168 563 12145 1362 343 460 
			 Assistant Officer 38081 21301 211 674 35361 4173 416 551 
			 Officer 23115 14656 325 855 21621 4358 555 700 
			 Higher Officer 10885 6893 437 1,046 10383 2607 701 856 
			 Senior Officer 3911 2754 582 1,208 3896 1257 872 989 
			 Band T 627 156 496 1,221 621 66 695 996 
			 Grade 7 2297 914 908 1,724 2379 654 1,151 1,421 
			 Grade 6 1097 563 1,123 2,077 1141 445 1,465 1,712 
		
	
	Notes:
	(1) Staff are eligible for a performance bonus if they have a performance box mark covering at least 91 days of the preceding year and are still in post at of 1 June when the bonus is due to be paid.
	(2) This is the maximum bonus payable to staff on HMRC terms and conditions.
	Recognition Bonus' Scheme (RBS)
	All staff employed within the year are eligible for recognition under the RBS. Staff may have received more than one bonus payment in a year.
	
		
			  2007-08 2008-09 
			 Grade Number of staff receiving RBS payment Average Bonus paid (£) Maximum Bonus paid (£) Number of staff receiving RBS payment Average Bonus paid (£) Maximum Bonus paid (£) 
			 Admin. Assistant. 549 174 1,000 557 187 1,000 
			 Assistant Officer 1645 173 1,000 1729 200 1,000 
			 Officer 1178 243 1,500 1472- 262 1,750. 
			 Higher Officer 673 328 1,000 825 348 1,750 
			 Senior Officer 310 415 1,250 396 404 1,750 
			 Band T 8 425 1,000 18 338 2,000 
			 Grade 7 140 476 1,100 194 467 2,500 
			 Grade 6 80 787 5,000 107 646 3,100 
			 SCS 4 £938 £1,800 0 N/A N/A 
		
	
	Valuation Office Agency
	The VOA operates a performance related bonus scheme under the title of particularly significant contribution award scheme. In conjunction with the annual performance process, the agency also operates a recognition voucher scheme.
	Particularly Significant Contribution Award
	
		
			  2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 
			 Grade Number Eligible Number Awarded Average Awarded (£) Maximum Awarded (£) Number Eligible Number Awarded Average Award (£) Maximum Award (£) Number Eligible Number Awarded Average Award (£) Maximum Award (£) 
			 AA 724 55 350 350 724 60 350 350 724 52 350 350 
			 AO 524 70 350 350 524 80 350 350 524 62 350 350 
			 EO 1158 75 350 350 1158 85 350 350 1158 92 350 350 
			 HEO 899 123 550 550 899 160 550 550 899 134 550 550 
			 SEO 807 106 550 550 807 105 550 550 807 130 550 550 
			 G7 302 34 750 750 302 39 750 750 302 52 750 750 
			 G6 81  750 750 81 16 750 750 81 17 750 750 
		
	
	Recognition Voucher scheme
	
		
			  2007-08 2008-09 
			 Grade Number Eligible Number Awarded Average Award (£) Maximum Award (£) Number eligible Number Awarded Average Award (£) Maximum Award (£) 
			 AA 724 147 55 120 724 293 53 120 
			 AO 524 167 56 120 524 245 54 120 
			 EO 1158 211 52 120 1158 312 54 120 
			 HEO 899 232 53 120 899 318 64 120 
			 SEO 807 184 33 120 807 219 61 120 
			 G7 302 39 77 120 302 81 76 120 
			 G6 81 15 10 120 81 35 92 120 
		
	
	Senior Civil Servants
	Bonus payments for Senior Civil Servants in the Valuation Office Agency are administered and awarded by HMRC.
	
		
			  2007-08 2008-09 
			  Number Eligible Number Received Average Bonus (£) Maximum Bonus (£) Number Eligible Number Received Average Bonus (£) Maximum Bonus (£) 
			 HMRC 383 265 8,351 45,000 404 286 8,581 34,594 
			 VOA 8 7 6,943 11,000 13 10 9,820 19,500 
			 Overall 391 272 8,314  417 296 8,623  
		
	
	The maximum bonuses for HMRC SCS for both 07-08 and 08-09 were paid under a fixed term non-standard contract and declared in the appropriate HMRC departmental report. These bonuses related to the same contract and were performance related. The maximum contracted bonus was not paid on either occasion. The calculation used to arrive at the average bonus figure included the maximum bonus.

Government: Salaries

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of ministers are not paid ministerial salaries.

Baroness Crawley: A full list of Ministers of Her Majesty's Government, including details of the Minister's title, department and whether or not they receive a salary can be accessed on the No. 10 website: http://www.number10.gov.uk/Page19564. Details are also available in the Library.

Health: Contaminated Blood Products

Lord Morris of Manchester: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their response to the remarks about the accuracy of ministers' statements to Parliament about the reasons why the Republic of Ireland has a more generous scheme of compensation for haemophilia patients infected by contaminated blood than the United Kingdom, as set out in letters from the Irish Haemophilia Society and the Department of Health and Children in the Republic of Ireland quoted during the second reading of the Contaminated Blood (Support for Infected and Bereaved Persons) Bill [HL] on 11 December (HL Deb, cols 1263-4).

Baroness Thornton: The compensation scheme in the Republic of Ireland was set up in the light of evidence of mistakes by the Irish Blood Transfusion Service Board (BTSB).
	The sections of the letters from the Irish Haemophilia Society and the Department of Health and Children which were quoted during the Second Reading of the Contaminated Blood (Support for Infected and Bereaved Persons) Bill [HL] on 11 December (HL Deb, cols 1263-4), do not mention the fact that the Irish Government had set up an expert group to look into the issue of contaminated blood products, which reported in January 1995. The expert group found that wrongful acts had been committed by the BTSB, which led the Irish Government to set up the Hepatitis-C Compensation Tribunal to operate on a non-statutory basis to review claims for compensation arising from the many civil actions pending in the courts. The Irish Government subsequently set up the Finlay tribunal of inquiry, which reported in March 1997. This found that wrongful acts were committed. Following the findings of the Finlay tribunal, the Irish Government placed the Hepatitis-C Compensation Tribunal on a statutory footing.
	This information has been agreed with officials in the Republic of Ireland's Department of Health and Children.

Health: Continuing Care

Baroness Greengross: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people received NHS continuing care (a) in each primary care trust, and (b) per 10,000 of the population, in the first two quarters of 2009-10.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether figures showing the numbers of people receiving continuing care from the National Health Service are available on the Department of Health's website; and, if so, where.

Baroness Thornton: The requested information, in the following table, is available from the department's website at www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics /Publications/PublicationsPolicyandGuidance/DH_103162.
	
		
			 NHS Continuing Health Care: Year 2009-10 
			 General Practitioner populations reconciled to Office for National Statistics mid-2006 estimates for local authorities (minus special populations). 
			 Organisation Code Organisation Name Number of people receiving continuing NHS healthcare  Number per 10,000 population  
			   Quarter 1 Quarter 2 Quarter 1 Quarter 2 
			 England Total  44,924 47,114 8.8 9.3 
			 North East SHA  2,363 2,502 9.2 9.8 
			 5D7 Newcastle PCT 99 104 3.7 3.8 
			 5D8 North Tyneside PCT 152 153 7.8 7.8 
			 5D9 Hartlepool PCT 112 113 12.3 12.4 
			 5E1 North Tees PCT 308 301 16.3 15.9 
			 5J9 Darlington PCT 173 178 17.4 17.9 
			 5KF Gateshead PCT 121 121 6.4 6.4 
			 5KG South Tyneside PCT 96 121 6.4 8.0 
			 5KL Sunderland Teaching PCT 275 292 9.8 10.4 
			 5KM Middlesbrough PCT 118 118 8.5 8.5 
			 5ND County Durham PCT 560 638 11.2 12.7 
			 5QR Redcar and Cleveland PCT 72 68 5.2 4.9 
			 TAC Northumberland Care Trust 277 295 8.9 9.5 
			 North West SHA  6,522 6,642 9.5 9.6 
			 5CC Blackburn With Darwen PCT 65 65 4.6 4.6 
			 5F5 Salford PCT 208 208 9.5 9.5 
			 5F7 Stockport PCT 339 331 12.1 11.8 
			 5HG Ashton, Leigh and Wigan PCT 561 470 18.4 15.4 
			 5HP Blackpool PCT 64 69 4.5 4.8 
			 5HQ Bolton PCT 277 356 10.6 13.6 
			 5J2 Warrington PCT 215 246 11.1 12.7 
			 514 Knowsley PCT 183 207 12.1 13.7 
			 5J5 Oldham PCT 282 325 12.8 14.8 
			 5JX Bury PCT 79 84 4.3 4.6 
			 5LH Tameside and Glossop PCT 200 213 8.1 8.6 
			 5NE Cumbria PCT 240 330 4.8 6.7 
			 5NF North Lancashire PCT 491 532 14.9 16.2 
			 5NG Central Lancashire PCT 305 351 6.7 7.8 
			 5NH East Lancashire Teaching PCT 144 179 3.7 4.7 
			 5NJ Sefton PCT 168 143 6.1 5.2 
			 5NK Wirral PCT 288 336 9.3 10.8 
			 5NL Liverpool PCT 639 499 14.7 11.4 
			 5NM Halton and St Helens PCT 672 596 22.6 20.1 
			 5NN Western Cheshire PCT 152 157 6.5 6.7 
			 5NP Central and Eastern Cheshire PCT 402 386 8.9 8.6 
			 5NQ Heywood, Middleton and  Rochdale PCT 104 112 5.0 5.4 
			 5NR Trafford PCT 90 98 4.2 4.6 
			 5NT Manchester PCT 354 349 7.8 7.7 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber SHA  5,136 5,966 10.0 11.6 
			 5EF North Lincolnshire PCT 238 214 15.3 13.8 
			 5H8 Rotherham PCT 71 96 2.8 3.8 
			 5J6 Calderdale PCT 254 241 12.8 12.1 
			 5JE Barnsley PCT 176 251 7.9 11.2 
			 5N1 Leeds PCT 774 851 10.3 11.3 
			 5N2 Kirklees PCT 413 454 10.4 11.4 
			 5N3 Wakefield District PCT 235 202 7.3 6.3 
			 5N4 Sheffield PCT 670 761 12.7 14.5 
			 5N5 Doncaster PCT 306 316 10.5 10.9 
			 5NV North Yorkshire and York PCT 757 1,240 9.7 15.8 
			 5NW East Riding of Yorkshire PCT 177 179 5.3 5.4 
			 5NX Hull Teaching PCT 190 190 7.4 7.4 
			 5NY Bradford and Airedale Teaching PCT 683 754 13.9 15.3 
			 TAN North East Lincolnshire Care Trust Plus 192 217 12.0 13.5 
			 East Midlands SHA  4,149 4,638 9.6 10.7 
			 5EM Nottingham City PCT 205 212 7.2 7.4 
			 5ET Bassetlaw PCT 58 58 5.2 5.2 
			 5N6 Derbyshire County PCT 848 857 11.8 11.9 
			 5N7 Derby City PCT 332 332 14.1 14.1 
			 5N8 Nottinghamshire County  Teaching PCT 659 799 10.0 12.1 
			 5N9 Lincolnshire Teaching PCT 625 705 9.1 10.2 
			 5PA Leicestershire County and  Rutland PCT 426 585 6.3 8.7 
			 5PC Leicester City PCT 213 282 7.4 9.7 
			 5PD Northamptonshire Teaching  PCT 783 808 11.7 12.1 
			 West Midlands SHA  5,474 5,656 10.2 10.5 
			 5CN Herefordshire PCT 267 237 15.0 13.3 
			 5M1 South Birmingham PCT 209 214 6.2 6.3 
			 5M2 Shropshire County PCT 580 665 20.1 23.0 
			 5M3 Walsall Teaching PCT 345 340 13.6 13.4 
			 5MD Coventry Teaching PCT 331 318 10.8 10.4 
			 5MK Telford and Wrekin PCT 324 341 20.0 21.1 
			 5MV Wolverhampton City PCT 258 320 10.9 13.5 
			 5MX Heart Of Birmingham Teaching PCT 101 121 3.7 4.5 
			 5PE Dudley PCT 322 443 10.5 14.5 
			 5PF Sandwell PCT 131 130 4.6 4.5 
			 5PG Birmingham East and North PCT 258 333 6.5 8.4 
			 5PH North Staffordshire PCT 202 187 9.6 8.9 
			 5PJ Stoke On Trent PCT 168 148 6.8 6.0 
			 5PK South Staffordshire PCT 535 378 8.9 6.3 
			 5PL Worcestershire PCT 384 589 6.9 10.7 
			 5PM Warwickshire PCT 881 664 16.9 12.7 
			 TAM Solihull Care Trust 178 228 8.8 11.2 
			 East of England SHA  2,761 2,962 4.9 5.3 
			 5GC Luton PCT 96 36 5.1 1.9 
			 5P1 South East Essex PCT 114 149 3.5 4.5 
			 5P2 Bedfordshire PCT 226 198 5.6 4.9 
			 5P3 East and North Hertfordshire PCT 244 240 4.6 4.5 
			 5P4 West Hertfordshire PCT 315 304 5.9 5.7 
			 5PN Peterborough PCT 124 147 7.6 9.0 
			 5PP Cambridgeshire PCT 401 597 6.8 10.1 
			 5P,Q Norfolk PCT 416 422 5.6 5.7 
			 5PR Great Yarmouth and Waveney PCT 103 110 4.9 5.2 
			 5PT Suffolk PCT 299 375 5.1 6.4 
			 5PV West Essex PCT 113 126 4.1 4.6 
			 5PW North East Essex PCT 83 118 2.6 3.7 
			 5PX Mid Essex PCT 184 89 5.1 2.5 
			 5PY South West Essex PCT 43 51 1.1 1.3 
			 London SHA  6,209 6,375 8.3 8.5 
			 5A4 Havering PCT 262 247 11.5 10.9 
			 5A5 Kingston PCT 111 150 7.1 9.6 
			 5A7 Bromley PCT 219 234 7.3 7.8 
			 5A8 Greenwich Teaching PCT 155 157 7.0 7.1 
			 5A9 Barnet PCT 431 365 13.1 11.1 
			 5AT Hillingdon PCT 281 240 11.2 9.6 
			 5C1 Enfield PCT 223 266 7.8 9.3 
			 5C2 Barking and Dagenham PCT 309 395 18.7 23.8 
			 5C3 City and Hackney Teaching PCT 143 130 6.6 6.0 
			 5C4 Tower Hamlets PCT 114 124 5.4 5.8 
			 5C5 Newham PCT 149 227 6.0 9.1 
			 5C9 Haringey Teaching PCT 285 218 12.6 9.7 
			 5H1 Hammersmith and Fulham PCT 135 104 7.9 6.1 
			 5HX Ealing PCT 208 283 6.8 9.2 
			 5HY Hounslow PCT 181 175 8.3 8.0 
			 5K5 Brent Teaching PCT 510 254 18.8 9.4 
			 5K6 Harrow PCT 246 205 11.5 9.6 
			 5K7 Camden PCT 181 210 8.0 9.2 
			 5K8 Islington PCT 103 112 5.6 6.0 
			 5K9 Croydon PCT 325 332 9.6 9.9 
			 5LA Kensington and Chelsea PCT 200 202 11.2 11.3 
			 5LC Westminster PCT 5 140 0.2 6.0 
			 5LD Lambeth PCT 174 184 6.4 6.8 
			 5LE Southwark PCT 128 143 4.8 5.3 
			 5LF Lewisham PCT 206 205 8.1 8.0 
			 5LG Wandsworth PCT 111 100 4.0 3.6 
			 5M6 Richmond and Twickenham PCT 95 238 5.3 13.3 
			 5M7 Sutton and Merton PCT 251 258 6.6 6.8 
			 5NA Redbridge PCT 161 126 6.4 5.0 
			 5NC Waltham Forest PCT 183 206 8.3 9.3 
			 TAK Bexley Care Trust 122 145 5.5 6.5 
			 South East Coast SHA  2,280 2,819 5.4 6.7 
			 5L3 Medway PCT 139 127 5.5 5.0 
			 5LQ Brighton and Hove City PCT 176 182 7.0 7.2 
			 5P5 Surrey PCT 739 678 6.9 6.3 
			 5P6 West Sussex PCT 207 827 2.7 10.7 
			 5P7 East Sussex Downs and Weald PCT 254 249 7.7 7.5 
			 5P8 Hastings and Rother PCT 89 69 5.1 3.9 
			 5P9 West Kent PCT 372 359 5.6 5.4 
			 5QA Eastern and Coastal Kent PCT 304 328 4.2 4.6 
			 South Central SHA  3,999 3,586 10.0 9.0 
			 5CQ Milton Keynes PCT 81 95 3.5 4.1 
			 5FE Portsmouth City Teaching PCT 341 317 17.4 16.1 
			 5L1 Southampton City PCT 236 247 10.3 10.8 
			 5QC Hampshire PCT 1,685 1,271 13.3 10.0 
			 5QD Buckinghamshire PCT 421 476 8.4 9.5 
			 5QE Oxfordshire PCT 563 514 9.3 8.5 
			 5QF Berkshire West PCT 193 197 4.3 4.4 
			 5QG Berkshire East PCT 265 245 . 6.9 6.4 
			 5QT Isle Of Wight NHS PCT 214 224 15.4 16.2 
			 South West SHA  6,031 5,968 11.8 11.6 
			 5A3 South Gloucestershire PCT 189 224 7.4 8.8 
			 5F1 Plymouth Teaching PCT 649 536 26.2 21.6 
			 5FL Bath and North East Somerset PCT 213 204 12.1 11.6 
			 5K3 Swindon PCT 156 170 8.1 8.8 
			 5M8 North Somerset PCT 218 214 10.8 10.6 
			 5QH Gloucestershire PCT 465 541 8.0 9.3 
			 5QJ Bristol PCT 366 408 8.9 9.9 
			 5QK Wiltshire PCT 453 408 10.1 9.1 
			 5QL Somerset PCT 452 523 8.7 10.1 
			 5QM Dorset PCT 579 524 14.4 13.0 
			 5QN Bournemouth and Poole PCT 670 512 22.5 17.2 
			 5QP Cornwall and Isles Of Scilly PCT 718 760 13.6 14.4 
			 5QQ Devon PCT 757 772 10.2 10.4 
			 TAL Torbay Care Trust 146 172 11.0 12.9

Health: Costs

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Baroness Thornton on 11 November (WA 169), on what numbers of British pensioners living in the Republic of Ireland and Irish pensioners living in the United Kingdom European Union healthcare payments are based; and what were the average annual healthcare payments made by and to the Republic of Ireland since the system commenced.

Baroness Thornton: The United Kingdom (UK) is currently responsible for the healthcare costs of 43,600 British pensioners living in the Republic of Ireland. The corresponding figure for Irish pensioners living in the UK is 3,017. Payments made over the past three years are included in the following table:
	
		
			   2007 2008 2009 
			 UK claims against Ireland  £ £ £ 
			 Pensioners 3,017 10,798,873 9,620,163 8,625,564 
			 Visitors  12,194,841 10,863,760 9,740,589 
			 Family members  290,132 0 0 
			 Total  23,283,846 20,483,923 18,366,153 
			 Ireland claims against UK 
			 Pensioners 43,600 279,261,305 293,419,853 305,596,777 
			 Visitors  16,423,544 17,606,040 17,412,373 
			 Family members  18,201,878 0 0 
			 Total  313,886,727 311,025,893 323,009,150

Health: Drugs

The Earl of Sandwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency monitors the safety of benzodiazepines.

Baroness Thornton: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) monitors the safety of all medicines in the United Kingdom and, where necessary, takes action to safeguard public health.
	The Yellow Card Scheme, by which healthcare professionals and patients report suspected adverse drug reactions, enables signals of drug safety issues to be detected. In the light of evidence of dependence associated with benzodiazepine use, which emerged in the 1980s, regulatory action was taken to provide advice about limiting treatment duration, extensive warnings about the risks of dependence and advice on gradual withdrawal.
	The MHRA uses other sources of data to support and clarify information from spontaneous reporting and the impact of regulatory action, including published research and drug safety studies. In evaluating these, the MHRA receives regular expert advice from its independent scientific advisory bodies, the Commission on Human Medicines and its Pharmacovigilance Expert Advisory Group.

Health: Drugs

The Earl of Sandwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have for raising awareness among general practitioners of the risks of dependence on prescribed drugs.

Baroness Thornton: The Department is currently conducting its review into addiction to over-the-counter and prescribed drugs, which is expected to report later in 2010. Any future advice to general practitioners will be based on the evidence and therefore we do not want to pre-empt the results of the review or any recommendations it may make at this point.
	Any future guidance will build on previous advice provided to clinicians, such as guidance from the British National Formulary and National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence in relation to safe prescribing of benzodiazepines and Z-drugs.

Health: Haematology

Lord Campbell-Savours: To ask Her Majesty's Government what evidence has been made available to the National Health Service about the accuracy of CoaguChek S equipment when tested against laboratory-tested samples of blood.

Baroness Thornton: There is no requirement to collect this centrally and no information has been made available to the National Health Service.

Health: Working-age Population

Lord Dykes: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress is being made in replacing paper sick notes with electronic fit notes, and introducing health at work co-ordinators and the national centre for working age health, following Dame Carol Black's review of the health of Britain's working-age population.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: We have set out how we intend to improve the health of the working-age population in Improving health and work: changing lives, the Government's response to Dame Carol Black's review of the health of Britain's working-age population.
	We are making good progress working across government to take this agenda forward, in partnership with key stakeholders like employers, the NHS, healthcare professionals, trade unions and insurers.
	The Government intend to introduce a revised medical statement in April 2010. We are working with colleagues in GB health departments to try to ensure that the new certificate is delivered in an electronic format. However, specific delivery timetables are dependent on commercial partners who provide relevant IT systems to primary care.
	We are also establishing a Health, Work and Well-being Co-ordinator role within each English region and in Scotland and Wales. The co-ordinators will champion integrated approaches to health, employment and skills support, encourage local public sector employers as exemplars and build engagement with small businesses.
	Eight out of the 11 co-ordinators are in post; two have been appointed and will be in post shortly. We are currently interviewing for the other co-ordinator post.
	The network launch of the Health, Work and Well-being Co-ordinators took place on 8 December 2009 and this successful event brought together senior government officials, policy advisors and representatives from the business world that have an interest in the promotion of health, work and well-being initiatives.
	Additionally, we have been clarifying the objectives and the working model for the National Centre for Working Age Health and Well-being with stakeholders. We hope to be able to start the tendering process within the next month.

Healthcare: Funding

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Baroness Thornton on 7 December (WA 87), what were the average annual healthcare payments made by and to Germany since the system commenced.

Baroness Thornton: The available information is set out in the following table. Comparable information for previous years is not available.
	
		
			 European Economic Area Medical Costs 
			 Average Annual Cash Payments by Germany 2002-03 to 2008-09 £180,758.22 Average Annual Cash Payments to Germany 2002-03 to 2008-09 £8,740,594.05

Healthcare: Funding

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Baroness Thornton on 7 December (WA 87), what were the average annual healthcare payments made by and to (a) France, and (b) Spain, in each of the last three years; what were the respective totals since the system commenced; and whether they will withhold further payments until a review of the calculation system is agreed with those countries.

Baroness Thornton: Under European Union Regulations (1408/71) European Economic Area (EEA) member states reimburse each other for the cost of providing healthcare to each other's tourists, workers, pensioners and the dependants of both groups. Under these regulations, payments are either made on an actual or average cost basis, and cannot be withheld.
	The following tables show the average annual payments for the past three years made by and to France and Spain.
	
		
			 EEA Medical Costs 
			 Average Annual Cash Payments by France 2006-07 to 2008-09 £3,400,422 Average Annual Cash Payments to France 2006-07 to 2008-09 £118,482,415 
		
	
	
		
			 EEA Medical Costs 
			 Average Annual Cash Payments by Spain 2006-07 to 2008-09 £2,260,541 Average Annual Cash Payments to Spain 2006-07 to 2008-09 £139,694,639 
		
	
	The following tables show the actual cash payments by and to France and Spain for the past seven years. Comparable information for previous years is not available.
	
		
			 EEA Medical Costs 
			 Financial Year Cash Payments by France Cash Payments to France 
			 2002-03 £3,750,720 £28,867,801 
			 2003-04 £2,792,093 £39,207,617 
			 2004-05 £2,849,172 £56,395,579 
			 2005-06 £2,863,669 £61,189,027 
			 2006-07 £2,812,622 £83,561,731 
			 2007-08 £2,164,442 £104,895,955 
			 2008-09 £5,224,201 £166,989,559 
		
	
	
		
			 EEA Medical Costs 
			 Financial Year Cash Payments by Spain Cash Payments to Spain 
			 2002-03 £1,763,769 £31,848,516 
			 2003-04 £48,854 £36,215,666 
			 2004-05 £2,451,289 £71,366,052 
			 2005-06 £60,937 £1,045 
			 2006-07 £2,449,555 £179,420,978 
			 2007-08 £106,275 £121,302,143 
			 2008-09 £4,225,793 £118,360,797

HMS "Hibernia"

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the process followed in naming the Royal Naval Reserve unit HMS Hibernia; by whom; and who was consulted.

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: Consultation between the Commander Maritime Reserves, Naval Historical Branch and the Ships Names and Badges Committee was undertaken before final approval to the name HMS Hibernia was given by the First Sea Lord.

Housing

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by the Minister for Housing, John Healey, on 8 June (Official Report, House of Commons, col. 750W), how the increase in spending on new affordable housing from £417 million in 1999-2000 to £2,587 million in 2008-09 is reflected in the numbers of new homes built over that period.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: The figures in the Written Answer to the honourable Member for Welwyn Hatfield on 8 June (Official Report, col. 750W) showed allocations of grant of some £13 billion between 1999 and 2009 to housing associations and other affordable housing providers for the provision of social rented and low cost home ownership schemes.
	Allocations are the total amount of grant awarded for these schemes with spend spreading over a number of years until the scheme is completed. In total, this amount of grant funding, some £13 billion, will have led to approval of over 282,000 new affordable homes.
	Delivery of affordable housing is shown in live table 1000 on the CLG website at http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/housing/xls/1406058.xls.

Human Rights

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they will respond to the Interim Resolution (CM/Res DH (2009) 160) of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe about the delay in implementing the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in the case of Hirst (No 2) v United Kingdom of 6 October 2005, and urging the United Kingdom to adopt the measures necessary to implement the judgment.

Lord Bach: The Government have noted the interim resolution made by the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers in the case of Hirst (No 2). We have recently completed a two-stage consultation on the voting rights of convicted prisoners. We are carefully analysing the responses to the consultation. The Government take their obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights seriously. But we must arrive at an approach which respects the judgment of the Court and takes into account the level of public consent for any change and the traditions of the United Kingdom.

Human Rights: Detention

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of combatants and suspects detained in custody without charge by allies of the United Kingdom in states in which they have a military presence, without access to the International Committee of the Red Cross and with little or no contact with their families or local advisers; and whether they make representations on such detentions.

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: The UK fully implements the Geneva Conventions and we request that our allies do so as well. Issues relating to the International Committee of the Red Cross and denial of access to combatants or suspects are matters between the International Committee of the Red Cross and the individual Governments concerned.

Hydrographic Office

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government why the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office has raised its charges for the provision of hydrographic information to publishers of maritime charts by up to 100 per cent; and what assessment they have made of any safety issues arising from mariners using out of date navigation data due to the higher costs of purchasing new charts.

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: The United Kingdom Hydrographic Office (UKHO) has made no change to the licensing fees charged for reuse of its chart data in navigational products in 2009; as such there is no impact on safety.
	UKHO has restructured the licence fees charged for the reuse of data in publications and merchandising products for non-navigational use. The licence agreement for this purpose does not allow use for navigation and requires the licensees to include a notice to that effect in their product, so there is no impact on safety.
	This restructuring of licence fees was necessary for UKHO to be fully compliant with the Re-Use of Public Sector Information Regulations 2005, which require all reusers of data to make a fair contribution to the costs of creating the data. As a result some licensees, who have not been contributing enough, will now pay more and others, who have been overcontributing, will pay less. There is no overall change in revenue to UKHO.

Immigration

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord West of Spithead on 14 July (WA 203), how many skilled chefs were granted United Kingdom entry visas in each of the last eight quarters; and what were the results of the Migration Advisory Committee's review of whether to continue to fill shortages of skilled chefs through migration.

Lord West of Spithead: The Migration Advisory Committee's (MAC) latest shortage occupation list was published on 21 October. The committee concluded that the occupation is still in shortage and recommended that the occupation remains on the list. David Metcalf, chair of the MAC also stated that the committee is "minded to remove skilled chefs from our recommended list in 2010 unless there is evidence of a coherent strategy to train substantial numbers of chefs being in place by then".
	The Government are working with the ethnic catering industry to develop a long-term strategy-ready in spring 2010-to fill more of the shortage of skilled chefs from the UK labour market and reduce the reliance on migration. This involves upskilling our domestic workforce, equipping new entrants with the required specialist skills, and making jobs in these industries a more attractive career option.
	Information on the number of visas issued to skilled chefs cannot be retrieved centrally. It would be necessary to examine individual application forms and we could therefore only provide the information requested at disproportionate cost.

Immigration: Deportation

Baroness Neville-Jones: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people have been (a) deported, and (b) excluded from the United Kingdom, on the ground of national security in each year since 2001.

Lord West of Spithead: A breakdown of those (a) deported and (b) excluded from the United Kingdom since 2001 is in the attached table.
	
		
			 2001 (a) 0 (b) 30 
			 2002 (a) 0 (b) 26 
			 2003 (a) 0 (b) 14 
			 2004 (a) 0 (b) 9 
			 2005 (a) 0 (b) 13 
			 2006 (a) 3 (b) 40 
			 2007 (a) 6 (b) 80 
			 2008 (a) 0 (b) 26 
			 2009 (a) 0 (b) 22

Immigration: France

Lord Condon: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will make representations to the Government of France on proposals to replace the asylum camp at Calais with an alternative centre for people attempting entry into the United Kingdom through ports in Kent.

Lord West of Spithead: There is no proposal by the UK or French authorities to create an alternative centre following the closure of the Sangatte refugee centre in 2002.

Immigration: International Students

Baroness Warsi: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord West of Spithead on 6 July (WA 99), what is the current immigration status of the 3,940 international students enrolled at schools, colleges and universities prior to 31 March and subsequently refused a sponsor licence by the UK Border Agency.

Lord West of Spithead: The students enrolled at institutions before the introduction of tier four would have been granted leave under the student Immigration Rules in place at the time. These students may stay and study at these institutions for the duration of their existing leave.

Immigration: Yarl's Wood

Lord Ramsbotham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their response to staff of Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre not allowing the Canon Theologian of Westminster Abbey to deliver Christmas presents to detained children.

Lord West of Spithead: The incident involved a request from a Jonathan Cox, representing Citizens for Sanctuary and the St Nicholas Society, to come into Yarl's Wood to distribute gifts to children and not specifically from the Reverend Professor Nicholas Sagovsky, Canon Theologian of Westminster Abbey.
	The UK Border Agency has a duty to safeguard those in its care, especially children. That includes appropriate vetting of those who wish to work or operate in the immigration removal centres. Mr Cox's request was therefore declined primarily on security grounds because the two organisations were not known to centre staff and did not have suitable clearance to have direct contact with the children in our care. However, arrangements were made with the society for gifts to be delivered to the centre for onward distribution, which indeed occurred.
	We have a full plan of activities for the celebration of major religious festivals, including Christmas. These include parties, a traditional carol service, and a visit by Father Christmas to Yarl's Wood.
	Ministers of religion are able to make arrangements with the manager of religious affairs to attend an immigration removal centre subject to appropriate clearance, and I understand that an invitation has been extended to the Canon Theologian to visit Yarl's Wood at some point in the future.

India: Orissa

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the outcome of their meeting on 23 November with Mr Vijayesh Lal concerning displaced Christians in Orissa State, India; and what action they or the Commonwealth are taking about compensation, employment and reinstating land and property in that state.

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) officials held a productive meeting with Mr Lal and representatives of Christian non-governmental organisation, Open Doors, and updated them about the latest situation in Orissa.
	On 10-11 November 2009, the British High Commissioner to India visited Orissa and inquired with the local state authorities, including the Chief Minister, about the status of Christians still affected by the violence in Orissa in 2008, their living conditions, compensation and the prosecution of those responsible. The local authorities advised that the state-run camps had been closed, affected Christians had now returned to their homes, compensation had been provided and perpetrators had been convicted. However, resettlement of those displaced and the reconstruction of churches was still ongoing. FCO officials have since informed Mr Lal and his colleagues about the High Commissioner's recent visit.
	The Department for International Development is providing £10 million for community development in Orissa through the Tribal Empowerment and Livelihoods Programme from 2004-2010. The programme has helped to increase incomes, reduce malnutrition and improve water and sanitation for over 375,000 tribal men and women in four districts of Orissa, including Kandhamal.
	The British High Commission in New Delhi is also supporting a pilot project to improve access to justice in Kandhamal by improving awareness of citizens' rights and the capacity of lawyers to effectively pursue cases for victims of the communal violence in 2008.

India: Orissa

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will ask the Government of India to place the investigation into violence in Orissa in the hands of the Central Bureau of Investigation and transfer relevant court cases from Kandhamal to Cuttack or Bhubaneshwar.

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: The Government are unable to intervene in internal judicial matters in India.

Infrastructure Planning (Applications: Prescribed Forms and Procedures) Regulations 2009

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is meant by "fuel or field garden allotment" under article 30 of Schedule 1 to the Infrastructure Planning (Model Provisions) (England and Wales) Order 2009 (SI 2009/2265); and whether it covers allotments generally.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what is intended by the phrase "fuel or field garden allotment" in the definition of "special category land" in regulation 2 of the Infrastructure Planning (Applications: Prescribed Forms and Procedures) Regulations 2009 (SI 2009/2264).

Lord McKenzie of Luton: The term "fuel or field garden allotment" is defined in Sections 131(12) and 132(12) of the Planning Act 2009, where it states that these terms are to have the same meanings as in Section 19 of the Acquisition of Land Act 1981 The latter states that "'fuel or field garden allotment' means any allotment set out as fuel allotment, or a field garden allotment, under an Inclosure Act". It does not cover allotments generally.

Infrastructure Planning (Model Provisions) (England and Wales) Order 2009

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: To ask Her Majesty's Government to what extent legislative provisions can be modified under article 6 of Schedule 1 to the Infrastructure Planning (Model Provisions) (England and Wales) Order 2009 (SI 2009/2265); and whether any such modifications will have to be agreed with the Secretary of State.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: The Infrastructure Planning (Model Provisions) (England and Wales) Order 2009 sets out model provisions that might be incorporated in an order granting development consent. The extent to which statutory provisions can be modified (in respect of a particular project) relates to whether it is necessary for the purposes of granting development consent.
	Where the Infrastructure Planning Commission proposes to modify statutory provision, Section 121 of the Planning Act 2008 requires it to send a draft of the order granting development to the Secretary of State who may direct changes to be made where it contravenes Community law or any of the convention rights.

Infrastructure Planning (Model Provisions) (England and Wales) Order 2009

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether a notice to treat under articles 26(2) and (3) of Schedule 1 to the Infrastructure Planning (Model Provisions) (England and Wales) Order 2009 (SI 2009/2265) has to be served on the owner in person; and, if not, whether there will be any right to claim an extension to the 21 days in the event that the owner is incapable of responding because of illness or absence.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government with reference to articles 26(2) and (3) of Schedule 1 to the Infrastructure Planning (Model Provisions) (England and Wales) Order 2009 (SI 2009/2265), whether there is any circumstance in which the period of 21 days may be extended to take account of the owner's personal circumstances.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: The notice to treat does not have to be served on the owner in person. There is no right to claim an extension in the event of illness or absence. Articles 26(2) and (3) of Schedule 1 do not contain provisions which enable the period of 21 days to be extended to take account of an owner's personal circumstances.

Infrastructure Planning (Model Provisions) (England and Wales) Order 2009

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: To ask Her Majesty's Government with reference to Schedule 4 to the Infrastructure Planning (Model Provisions) (England and Wales) Order 2009 (SI 2009/2265), which body or bodies will be responsible for monitoring the controls and construction particulars submitted to and approved by the Infrastructure Planning Commission.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: The "relevant local planning authority" (defined in Section 173 of the Planning Act 2009) is responsible for enforcing the terms of an order granting development consent and this includes enforcing any requirements.

Infrastructure Planning (Model Provisions) (England and Wales) Order 2009

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: To ask Her Majesty's Government why interested parties will have 56 days to recover human remains under article 23(5) of Schedule 2 to the Infrastructure Planning (Model Provisions) (England and Wales) Order 2009 (SI 2009/2265) but 21 days to serve a counter notice objecting to the sale of land subject to a notice to treat under article 32(2) and (3) of that schedule.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: These provisions are consistent with existing legislation. Article 23 of Schedule 2 is intended to ensure that the personal representative or relative of any deceased person, whose human remains are identifiable and might be disturbed by the proposed works, are made aware of the forthcoming development and can make arrangements for their removal.
	Article 32 of that schedule relates to the material detriment of land affected by a notice to treat, such that the owner can serve on the undertaker a counter-notice that seeks to have the owner's whole interest in the land made subject to the proposed purchase. This is intended to address circumstances where a purchase subject to the original notice to treat would leave any remaining land held by the owner effectively unusable.

Israel

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many rockets have been fired by Hamas into Israel since the end of Operation Cast Lead.

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: According to the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, there have been 123 rockets and 70 mortar shells fired into Israel since the end of Operation Cast Lead (to 8 December 2009).

Israel and Palestine

Lord Dykes: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will meet the President and Secretary of State of the United States to discuss an early resumption by Israel and Palestine of substantive peace talks leading to the creation of a Palestine state.

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: My right honourable friends the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary are in regular dialogue with their US counterparts on a wide range of issues, including the Middle East peace process.
	We continue to remain committed to doing everything possible to achieve comprehensive peace in the Middle East, which includes supporting US efforts to launch a process.

Italy: British Embassy

Lord Kilclooney: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the annual costs of (a) the British Embassy to Italy, and (b) the British Embassy to the Holy See.

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: In Financial Year 2008/09, the annual cost of the British Embassy to Italy was £8,554,443, while the annual cost of the British Embassy to the Holy See was £551,965.

Kenya

Lord Steel of Aikwood: To ask Her Majesty's Government what meetings they have held with a delegation from Kenya seeking the establishment of a compensation fund for the ill-treatment of Mau Mau detainees; and what consideration they are giving to the matter.

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: The UK Government met a delegation from Kenya on 3 December, to discuss the matter raised. The UK Government are considering the points raised at the meeting, but as this matter is subject to legal proceedings it would not be appropriate to comment further.

Kosovo

Baroness Whitaker: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have asked the United Nations and its agencies to move the families no longer covered by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees from the camp at Osterode in Kosovo which is contaminated by lead waste.

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: The Government believe it is unacceptable that Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian internally displaced families have lived in lead contaminated camps for so long. When Kosovo declared independence, the UN and its relevant agencies handed responsibility to the Government of Kosovo for closing lead-contaminated camps and finding a sustainable solution. The Kosovan Government and the international community in Kosovo, together with the communities living in the camps, are now finally close to agreeing a solution. Our priority is to ensure this runs as smoothly as possible.
	The Government, together with the Kosovan company PTK, are funding testing by specialists from Aberystwyth University of air, soil and water in the planned relocation site, the Roma Mahalla, to ensure that it is safe for the community to be relocated there permanently. If the land is safe, construction of a total of 200 new houses will begin. This has been pledged by USAID (50 houses) and the European Commission Liaison Office in Kosovo (150 houses). If the land is not safe, correctional measures will be taken.

Legal Aid

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many judicial reviews and other cases were funded with legal aid in relation to the claim for criminal injuries compensation by Mrs Anne-Marie McCallion regarding her husband's death which was denied as he was a former convicted prisoner; and how much the legal aid cost in each instance.

Lord Bach: The Northern Ireland Legal Services Commission has issued three legal aid certificates to Mrs Anne-Marie McCallion. Two of the certificates are in respect of judicial reviews, the third being in respect of a case before the Court of Appeal arising out of one of the judicial reviews.
	To date, only one of the certificates in respect of a judicial review has been paid in full with a value of £9,996.33. In respect of the second judicial review the only bill submitted to date is for an interim payment which has been made in the sum of £1,901.50. As the commission has not received any information on the case before the Court of Appeal the legal aid costs are not known at this time.

Local Government

Lord Rooker: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will bring forward proposals to abolish two-tier local government in England.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: Our Pre-Budget Report makes clear that measures to reduce duplication and inefficiency between different tiers of local government will contribute to the £11 billion a year of savings which, as announced in that report, will be delivered by 2012-13. However, we have no plans for further programmes of invitations under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 to councils in two-tier areas to submit unitary proposals. We recognise that in some specific cases in the future there might be areas where circumstances are such as to warrant a focused and targeted invitation to councils concerned, and the 2007 Act allows for this.

Middle East

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their response to the statement by the Swedish Presidency of the Council of the European Union concerning peace in the Middle East.

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: We support the conclusions of the EU Foreign Ministers' meeting chaired by the Swedish Presidency, which were agreed by all 27 Member States.

National DNA Database

Baroness Neville-Jones: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord West of Spithead on 2 December (WA 50), whether any of the designated personnel with direct access to information on the national DNA database or their predecessors have criminal records.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord West of Spithead on 2 December (WA 50), whether any of the designated personnel with direct access to information on the national DNA database or their predecessors have been subject to (a) investigation, or (b) disciplinary action, as a result of their conduct in post.

Lord West of Spithead: The national DNA database (NDNAD) was established in 1995. From 1995 to 2005 it operated under the custodianship of the Forensic Science Service (FSS), then an executive agency of the Home Office. Following the vesting of the FSS as a government-owned company in December 2005, the custodianship of the NDNAD passed to the Home Office, although the FSS continued to operate and maintain the database under a contract with the Home Office.
	Custodianship of the NDNAD passed from the Home Office to the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) when it was created in April 2007. All NDNAD operations and maintenance functions previously carried out under contract by the FSS have now been transferred to NPIA.
	All NPIA employees who have had direct access to the NDNAD since NPIA took over custodianship of the database have received the appropriate security clearance.
	Since the NPIA took over custodianship of the NDNAD, two individuals with direct access to the database have been subject to investigation. In both cases the result of the investigation was that no disciplinary action was necessary.

National Insurance

Baroness Warsi: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many temporary National Insurance numbers were issued to overseas nationals in the last five years.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: The Government do not issue temporary National Insurance numbers.

NHS: IT Strategy

Lord Warner: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (a) acute trusts, (b) mental health trusts, (c) general practitioners, and (d) community services, are using an electronic summary patient record under the NHS National Programme for IT.

Baroness Thornton: As at 16 December 2009, two acute trusts, one mental health trust, 152 general practitioner practices, and additionally three out-of-hours providers and two walk-in centres were using electronic summary care records delivered under the national programme for information technology. No community trusts were doing so.

Northern Ireland Office: Bonuses

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of staff in the Northern Ireland Office received or will receive bonuses during 2009; what was the total amount of bonuses paid; and what were the figures for 2008.

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: Non-consolidated performance payments are made to staff in the Senior Civil Service in line with Cabinet Office Guidance and also to staff at Grades D2 to A in line with HM Treasury Guidance. These payments were made in the current year rewarding performance throughout the 2008-09 reporting year. Approximately 28 per cent of staff received non-consolidated performance payments, totalling £599,048.50. Approximately 26 per cent of staff received non-consolidated performance payments totalling £609,875.00* in 2008, to reward performance throughout the 2007-08 reporting year.
	Under a separate scheme, special performance payments were awarded to staff in the year 2008-09. Approximately 49 per cent of staff received these payments, totalling £260,865. Approximately 40 per cent of staff received special performance payments totalling £227,349.48 in the year 2007-08.
	* This figure does not include non-consolidated performance payments made by the Northern Ireland Prison Service to staff below Senior Civil Service.

Northern Ireland Office: Political Directorate

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what changes they propose to the system of paying bonuses to the staff of the Northern Ireland Office in view of the current financial circumstances.

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: As in previous years, the Northern Ireland Office will continue to follow the advice received from Cabinet Office and HM Treasury in relation to whether non-consolidated performance payments should be made to staff in the Senior Civil Service or at Grades D2 to A.

Northern Ireland Office: Staff

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many allegations of victimisation have been made by staff in the Northern Ireland Office.

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: The Northern Ireland Office (NIO) is committed to equality of opportunity and to creating an environment where staff are treated with dignity and respect. The department has policies in place to protect staff from inappropriate behaviour, and has robust procedures for dealing with complaints of harassment and bullying, including victimisation resulting from having made such complaints.
	The following table details the number of allegations of victimisation received from staff in the Northern Ireland Office in the past five years, for which records are held centrally.
	
		
			 Year Number of allegations received 
			 2005 1 
			 2006 0 
			 2007 0 
			 2008 0 
			 2009 1

Northern Ireland Office: Taxis

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Baroness Royall of Blaisdon on 12 May (WA 194-5) concerning the use of taxis by the Northern Ireland Office, what information concerning the use of individual taxis they will release.

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: Much of the information available on the use of taxis constitutes personal data which if released would breach the first principle of the Data Protection Act 1998, namely the fair and lawful processing of personal data, and is therefore not available for release. However, the department will release information on the cost of invoiced taxi journeys.

Northern Ireland Office: Taxis

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the cost of providing taxis for Ministers in the Northern Ireland Office in the last 12 months.

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: The Northern Ireland Office (NIO), including its arm's-length bodies and the Public Prosecution Service Northern Ireland but excluding its agencies and NDPBs, spent £34 on providing taxis for Ministers in the last 12 months.
	The NIO keeps the cost of travel on official business under regular review.

Northern Ireland Office: Trade Unions

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Baroness Royall of Blaisdon on 4 November (WA 84), why details are not available of facility time for staff on trade union business in the Northern Ireland Office.

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: Currently, facility time for trade union representatives is delegated to local line management and details are not held centrally. However, the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) will be recording facility time centrally from 1 January 2010.

Northern Ireland Parades Commission

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much the Northern Ireland Parades Commission spent on public relations and media activity in each of the last five years.

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: The amount of money spent by the Parades Commission on public relations and media activity for the years 2005 to 2009 is detailed in the following table.
	
		
			 Year Spend (£) 
			 2009 51,828 
			 2008 68,231 
			 2007 77,339 
			 2006 59,296 
			 2005 60,998

Northern Ireland: Atlantic Philanthropies

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have been asked by the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission since July whether it can seek or accept further funding from Atlantic Philanthropies; and what are the proposals for three such funded projects being considered by the Commission.

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: The Northern Ireland Office has received no formal requests from the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission to access external funding from Atlantic Philanthropies since July 2009. If the commission wishes to formulate proposals for external funding, that is a matter for the commission and the noble Lord may wish to write to it directly.

Northern Ireland: Human Rights Commission

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government how funding supplied to the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission has been assessed for value for money; by whom; and when.

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: The Accounting Officer of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission holds delegated responsibility for considering value for money in the commission's operations. The Northern Ireland Office, as sponsor department, conducts a detailed review of all funding as part of the Government Spending Review cycle with HM Treasury. During the course of each financial year, it reviews use of allocated funding through monthly management accounts, twice yearly in-year monitoring rounds, regular review meetings, consideration of business cases and through departmental efficiency exercises.

Northern Ireland: Human Rights Commission

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will place in the Library of the House all correspondence they had with the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission during October and November 2009.

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: All ministerial and official letters between the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) and the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission (NIHRC) during October and November 2009 will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses. These include:
	letter from NIO official (name redacted) to NIHRC chief executive, dated 2 October 2009 in relation to the review of healthcare provision for detainees in police custody suites;letter from Monica McWilliams to Paul Goggins, dated 7 October 2009 on supervised activity orders;letter from NIO official to Monica McWilliams, dated 30 October 2009 informing of the commencement of a public consultation on the review of the PSNI temporary recruitment provisions;letter from Paul Goggins to Monica McWilliams, dated 3 November 2009 on fine default and supervised activity orders;letter from Monica McWilliams to Paul Goggins, dated 12 November 2009 regarding mental capacity and mental health legislation for Northern Ireland;letter of acknowledgement from Paul Goggins' Private Office (official's name redacted) to Monica McWilliams, dated 18 November 2009; letter from NIO official to Monica McWilliams, dated 30 November 2009 regarding the Causeway Criminal Justice System.letter from the Secretary of State to Monica McWilliams, dated 30 November 2009 informing of the launch of the public consultation on a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland: Next Steps; andinvitation from the Secretary of State to Monica McWilliams, dated 30 November 2009.

Northern Ireland: Media

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what guidance they have issued to television producers in Northern Ireland about local news coverage.

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: The Northern Ireland Office (NIO) has not issued any guidance to television producers in Northern Ireland about local news coverage.

Ofcom

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government who are the members of Ofcom's Communications Consumer Panel; when were they appointed; what is their term of service; and what were the total salaries and expenses bills in each of the last six years.

Lord Young of Norwood Green: The Communications Consumer Panel is a body independent of the regulator, Ofcom. As the panel held its first meeting on 23 February 2004, April 2004 - March 2005 is the first full year for which records are available.
	
		
			 Members of the Communications Consumer Panel 
			 Member Date of Appointment Date of reappointment Date of reappointment Current term of service 
			 Anna Bradley, Chair 10/01/2008 - - 3 years 
			 Fiona Ballantyne, Member for Scotland 12/02/2004 10/02/2007 28/10/2008 3 years 
			 Maureen Edmondson, Member for Northern Ireland 28/10/2008 - - 3 years 
			 Kim Brook, Member for Wales 28/10/2008 - - 2 years 
			 Roger Darlington, Member for England 12/02/2004 10/02/2007 28/10/2008 3 years 
			 Louisa Bolch, Member 28/10/2008 - - 2 years 
			 Colin Browne, Member 28/10/2008 - - 3 years 
			 Leen Petré, Member 28/10/2008 - - 2 years 
			 Damian Tambini, Member 28/10/2008 - - 3 years 
			 Bob Warner, Member 28/10/2008 - - 3 years 
		
	
	
		
			 Salaries and expenses: April '04 - March '09 
			 Financial Year Total salaries: Panel Total salaries: support team Total expenses 
			 April '08 - March '09 £194,300 £151,800 £34,600 
			 April '07 - March '08 £220,900 £202,600 £38,600 
			 April '06 - March 07 £217,500 £201,100 £37,600 
			 April '05 - March'06 £202,300 £161,000 £27,800 
			 April '04 - March'05 £195,600 £151,000 £31,900 
		
	
	Notes
	o Panel members were paid flat fees.
	o The figure for salaries includes employer's National Insurance.
	o Expenses between April '04 and March '09 cover travel and subsistence for panel members and the advisory team. All monthly panel meetings were held at Ofcom's office in London. This required overnight stays and travel for some members. There was an element of expenses as a result of speaking engagements in Europe.

Offshore Exploration (Petroleum and Gas Storage and Unloading) (Model Clauses) Regulations 2009

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: To ask Her Majesty's Government in which document the Schedule 3 mentioned in clause 7(2)(a) of Schedule to the Offshore Exploration (Petroleum and Gas Storage and Unloading) (Model Clauses) Regulations 2009 (SI 2009/2814) can be found.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The instrument sets out the model clauses to be incorporated into the non-exclusive licences that allow exploration of the UK's offshore area, whether for native hydrocarbons or for opportunities for gas storage. Besides incorporating those clauses, any such licence will also have a schedule that specifies the annual rental payment, and the model clause that the noble Lord asks about is referring to that schedule. The instrument does not include licence schedules but I can inform the noble Lord that the rate will be £2,000 p.a.

Palestine

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what reports have they received from the Quartet concerning the industrial zones plan in the occupied West Bank of Palestine.

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: The Office of the Quartet Representative continues to work closely with the Palestinian Authority and the Government of Israel to facilitate the creation of industrial parks in the West Bank, at Tarqumiya, the Jenin Industrial Park, the Jericho Agro-Industrial Park and the Bethlehem Industrial Park. The international community is committed to advancing these projects to attract further foreign investment, create jobs and promote overall economic growth.

Palestine

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what reports they have received from the Quartet's Representative to the Middle East, Tony Blair, concerning progress in dismantling checkpoints and free movement within the West Bank for Palestinians.

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: The Office of the Quartet Representative (OQR) reports to the Quartet on the progress of its work. Quartet Representative to the Middle East, Tony Blair, and my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs are in regular contact. There have been significant improvements in the flow of traffic in areas of the West Bank, mainly in urban areas. Some key checkpoints, critical to improving the economy, have been removed, opened or had their opening hours extended. Nablus in particular has benefitted.
	We are fully supportive of the work of the Office of the Quartet Representative.

Passports

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether photographs in passports issued to Muslim women who wear the niqab show their whole face, as for other British citizens.

Lord West of Spithead: Photographs in the British passport must be of the individual's full face facing straight ahead and with nothing obscuring the face. Head coverings worn for religious reasons may be accepted as long as they do not cover the face. However, the niqab is a veil which covers the face apart from the eyes and so a photograph of someone wearing a niqab would not meet the standards required for passport purposes.

Passports

Lord Marlesford: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many British passports are in circulation; how many passport holders hold more than one British passport; and how many also hold passports issued by other countries.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many British citizens also hold nationality of other countries.

Lord West of Spithead: The total number of British passports in circulation is estimated as some 52 million. However, information is not collated on the number of passport holders who hold an additional British or foreign issued passport. A British citizen who is a dual national may apply at any time to the authorities of the country concerned for a foreign passport whether or not they already hold a British passport.

Patricia Curran

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government where the police and prosecution records and court-related material regarding the murder of Patricia Curran are held; whether they are publicly accessible; and what evidence in the possession of the Police Service of Northern Ireland can still be forensically tested.

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: The retention and accessibility of this material is a matter for the relevant agencies. I would encourage the noble Lord to contact the Police Service of Northern Ireland, the Public Prosecution Service Northern Ireland, Northern Ireland Court Service and Forensic Science Northern Ireland.

Polygamy

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord West of Spithead on 21 July (WA 301-2), whether the minister's officials have come to a conclusion as to whether changes to the UK Border Agency's Entry Clearance Guidance are required, in the context of polygamous marriages; and, if so, what is their view of that advice.

Lord West of Spithead: In my Written Answer of 30 November 2009 (WA8) to the noble Lord I referred to my letter, despatched on 24 November 2009, responding to him on this subject. Divorces of convenience are extremely rare, and after careful consideration we have decided that the relevant part of the current entry clearance guidance (SET 14.8) should be amended to read simply that any case where there is evidence that a divorce of convenience has occurred should be referred to ECO Support for consideration and advice. We believe that this advice is more proportionate and appropriate than the previous wording.

Population

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with other countries in the last year about international population control measures.

Lord Brett: The UK Government are firmly committed to the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD).
	The Department for International Development (DfID) actively engages in supporting countries to address rapid population growth. Through our country offices as well as internationally we are working to advance progress on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), including improving access to family planning and safe abortion services. The increased choices and opportunities, especially for women, that come from better and more accessible sexual and reproductive health services have led millions of people in many countries to opt for smaller families.
	In 2007, the UK committed to providing an additional £100 million over five years to the United Nations' Global Programme for Reproductive Health Commodity Security. This programme is providing direct support to Governments worldwide to help them address population growth and women's need for family planning.

Poverty and Social Exclusion

Lord Kirkwood of Kirkhope: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to mark 2010 as the European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: The Department for Work and Pensions has been designated the UK's National Implementing Body for the 2010 European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion, with responsibility for co-ordinating the UK's participation in the Year. The Year marks the end of the 10-year Lisbon Strategy on Jobs and Growth, which included the commitment by Heads of State to make a "decisive impact on the eradication of poverty" by 2010.
	The Government are matching the €765,669 (£697,000) allocated to the UK by the European Commission in pursuit of the following objectives, which are to:
	raise awareness of poverty and social exclusion, and challenge myths and stereotypes about the prevalence, causes and consequences of poverty and social exclusion;facilitate engagement and dialogue between individuals and organisations that have a role to play in this agenda, including policymakers, delivery professionals and, critically, people experiencing poverty and the organisations that represent them;address the key challenges identified in Working Together, the UK's 2008-2010 National Action Plan (NAP) on Social Inclusion; andleave a lasting legacy of the Year, with outcomes that extend beyond 2010, including the continuation of dialogue between policymakers, practitioners and people experiencing poverty and the sharing of good practice in tackling poverty and promoting social exclusion.
	The department has published details of the UK National Programme for the 2010 European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion on its website at www.dwp.gov.uk/european-year-2010. A copy has been placed in the Library.

Railways: Car Parks

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effect of the offer for sale of King's Lynn station overspill car park by BRB (Residuary) Ltd for housing on the number of people using the rail service there.

Lord Adonis: The Government have made no such assessment. The existing overspill car park which was sold by was sold by BRB (Residuary) Ltd on 15 December is currently protected for use as a car park by the lease that is in place with First Capital Connect. In addition, it is a regulated facility and any change of use would require the approval of the Office of Rail Regulation.

Railways: Car Parks

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many spaces there are at King's Lynn station car park in the main and overflow areas; and what is the peak occupancy rate in each car park on each day of the week.

Lord Adonis: There are 208 car park spaces at King's Lynn station. The Department for Transport does not hold information on occupancy levels in the level of detail requested. However, I understand from First Capital Connect that the average occupancy level is 68 per cent.

Railways: Environment

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what encouragement they are giving to the railway industry to improve its environmental efficiency.

Lord Adonis: In the 2007 rail White Paper, Delivering a Sustainable Railway, the Government committed to setting an environmental target for the railway in control period 5 (2014-19). This is under development.
	In addition, the Department for Transport has included environmental objectives in recent rail franchise specifications requiring operators to report on environmental performance and put in place measures to reduce environmental impacts.
	The department is also working closely with rail stakeholders on a range of initiatives to improve rail's environmental efficiency, for example, through the rollout of regenerative braking on electric trains and trialling the use of biofuels in diesel trains.

Railways: Eurostar

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what guidance they have given to the relevant authorities about the future of the former Eurostar terminal at Waterloo station.

Lord Adonis: The Department for Transport is currently in discussion with the British Railways Board (Residuary) Limited, Network Rail and Stagecoach South West Trains to establish what would be the most cost-effective way to integrate Waterloo International terminal into the domestic station that maximises benefits for the short, medium and long term.

Railways: Franchises

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what instructions they give to railway franchisees about train overcrowding.

Lord Adonis: While each franchise agreement is different, recent franchise agreements broadly require the franchise to make best use of the rolling stock identified in the franchise agreement, to minimise crowding.

Railways: Passengers' Rights

Baroness Hanham: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether United Kingdom legislation contains provisions equivalent to those contained in the European Union regulation on rail passengers' rights and obligations (1371/2007).

Lord Adonis: The core elements of the European Union regulation provide relatively little in the way of new protections which are not already provided by domestic legislation or by regulatory requirements within the rail industry. The non-core elements of the regulation largely provide protections which are ancillary to those in existing domestic legislation.

Railways: Passengers' Rights

Baroness Hanham: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect to have analysed the information gained from the consultation on the non-core provisions of the Rail Passengers' Rights and Obligations (Exemptions) Regulations 2009 (SI 2009/2970); and how that information will be made available to the House of Lords.

Lord Adonis: SI 2009/2970 exempts domestic services from the non-core provisions of the European Union Regulation on Rail Passenger Rights and Obligations. I have given an assurance that the Government will take and implement decisions as early as practicable in 2010 on whether or not to continue with that exemption. These decisions will be based on appropriate assessments of the impacts of the measures on industry and passengers, informed by the responses to the recent consultation.

Railways: Passengers' Rights

Baroness Hanham: To ask Her Majesty's Government why there was a two-year delay between the adoption of the European Union regulation on rail passengers' rights and obligations (1371/2007) and the public consultation on the cost and benefit data associated with the non-core provisions.

Lord Adonis: The Government invited representatives of the passenger train operators, who have expressed concern about the likely costs of implementation, to provide evidence to support their position. It appears that they found it difficult to assemble the necessary evidence, because it was not forthcoming until April 2009.
	We concluded that their figures were not sufficiently substantiated or robust to enable us to take a sound decision about the extent of implementation. We therefore included a question about the costs and benefits in the recent consultation.

Republic of Ireland: Social Development

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will place in the Library of the House reports on social development in the Republic of Ireland from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office for the first six months of 2009.

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has not produced a specific report on social development in Ireland for the period in question.

Schools: Channel Project

Baroness Neville-Jones: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many schools have had pupils referred to the Channel Project in (a) the United Kingdom, (b) each Government Office region, and (c) each local authority area.

Lord West of Spithead: Nationally, the Channel Project has received 228 referrals between April 2007 and December 2008. Channel works with a wide range of partners to support individuals identified as vulnerable to violent extremism. Any further level of detail is an operational matter at a local level. We would not release such information in order to protect partners locally.

Schools: Channel Project

Baroness Neville-Jones: To ask Her Majesty's Government which schools have had pupils referred to the Channel Project.

Lord West of Spithead: Nationally, the Channel Project has received 228 referrals between April 2007 and December 2008. Channel works with a wide range of partners to support individuals identified as vulnerable to violent extremism. Any further level of detail is an operational matter at a local level. We would not release such information in order to protect partners locally.
	Between April 2007- December 2008:
	228 referrals were made to the Channel Project;the known age range of those referred to Channel as potentially vulnerable to violent extremism and in need of multi-agency support was 7-50 years;the majority of referrals were aged between 15-24 years;of those referred to Channel as potentially vulnerable to violent extremism and in need of multi-agency support, 93 per cent were male.

Schools: Extremist Groups

Baroness Neville-Jones: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether Ofsted routinely considers links between schools and extremist groups in its inspection reports.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what training Ofsted inspectors receive to identify links between schools and extremist groups.

Baroness Morgan of Drefelin: These are matters for Ofsted. HM Chief Inspector, Christine Gilbert, has written to the noble Baroness and copies of her replies have been placed in the Library.
	Letter from HM Chief Inspector, Ofsted, Christine Gilbert, to Baroness Neville-Jones, dated 15 December 2009.
	Your recent Parliamentary Question [HL587] has been passed to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for response.
	Ofsted inspects maintained schools against a specific framework and evaluation schedule, and against grade descriptors for all graded judgments. Inspectors make a judgment about the effectiveness with which a school promotes community cohesion. Inspectors are asked to evaluate the extent to which the school has developed an understanding of the religious, ethnic and socio-economic characteristics of its community in a local, national and global context. There is no specific judgment made relating to links between schools and extremist groups.
	Ofsted inspection reports on independent schools assess whether or not the schools are meeting statutory standards. From time to time both Ofsted and the DCSF receive information from a range of sources that might indicate concerns about a school having links with some form of extremism, and the impact this could have on the standard of education provided within the school. In these circumstances the DCSF might commission Ofsted to undertake additional, targeted work to examine whether an independent school is continuing to meet the statutory standards.
	Were the DCSF or Ofsted to receive information to indicate concerns about extremist influences impacting on the standard of education or wellbeing of pupils in any school, the DCSF could commission Ofsted to undertake an additional inspection.
	A copy of this reply has been sent to Vernon Coaker MP, Minister of State for Schools and Learners and will be placed in the library of both Houses.
	Letter from HM Chief Inspector, Ofsted, Christine Gilbert, to Baroness Neville-Jones, dated 15 December 2009.
	Your recent Parliamentary Question [HL588] has been passed to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for response.
	In relation to maintained schools, Ofsted has provided extensive training in matters relating to the judgement that inspectors make during inspections about the effectiveness with which a school promotes community cohesion. This does not, however, specifically include training for inspectors to identify links between schools and extremist groups.
	In relation to independent schools, Ofsted provides extensive training to ensure inspectors are able to make consistent and high quality judgements. When the inspection is of a faith or specialist school, inspectors with specialist knowledge of the relevant faith or specialism are deployed and, where relevant, inspectors with specific language skills are used. Training does not, however, specifically include training for inspectors to identify links between schools and extremist groups.
	A copy of this reply has been sent to Vernon Coaker MP, Minister of State for Schools and Learners and will be placed in the library of both Houses.

Schools: Extremist Groups

Baroness Neville-Jones: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many schools have (a) been investigated, (b) had remedial action or special measures put in place, and (c) closed down because of links to (1) proscribed, and (2) extremist, groups in each year since 1997.

Baroness Morgan of Drefelin: Any investigation in relation to alleged criminal activity is a matter for the police.
	Ofsted carries out regular inspections of maintained schools under Section 5 of the Education Act 2005. All independent schools are inspected on a three-yearly basis against the independent school standards for independent schools under Section 162A of the Education Act 2002.
	In the case of maintained schools, an inspection may occur where there are concerns about the education and well-being of pupils. A school judged inadequate is subject to monitoring and intervention measures which could result in closure. In the case of independent schools, emergency inspection visits can be commissioned by the DCSF if there is evidence that a school might not be meeting any of the independent school standards including concerns about the quality of education or procedures for safeguarding children. Any remedial action or deregistration would take place on the basis that one or more standard had not been met.
	There have been no Ofsted inspections relating to links between independent or maintained schools and proscribed organisations.
	Two independent schools were inspected by Ofsted in 2007 to ensure they were meeting the independent school standards following allegations of links with Hizb-ut-Tahrir.

Security Industry Authority

Baroness Neville-Jones: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many workers without the right to work in the United Kingdom have been issued with clearance by the Security Industry Authority in each year since its inception.

Lord West of Spithead: This information is not available in the form requested.
	In July 2007, the SIA introduced checks on the right to work of all non-European Economic Area (EEA) licence applicants. Licence applications from persons without the right to work are refused.
	At the same time the SIA undertook retrospective checks of the right to work of all existing non-EEA licence holders, as a result of which nearly 8,000 licences have been revoked.
	In addition, since September 2008, the SIA has checked the right to work of those non-EEA applicants who had a right to work which was current when they applied for a SIA licence but which would have expired before the expiry date of the SIA licence. As a result of this exercise over 6,250 licences have been revoked.
	The SIA issued its first licences to door supervisors in 2004. It commenced licensing security guards in 2006.

Sexual Assault Referral Centres

Baroness Gould of Potternewton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether all sexual assault referral centres have appropriate facilities and trained staff to work with children and young people who have been sexually assaulted.

Lord West of Spithead: These data are not centrally collated but we are encouraging all SARCs to ensure that they are able to offer the full range of quality services to children and young people. The Home Office has provided capital and resource funding to expand the number and quality of SARCs since 2003-04, and the recently published Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy committed Government to providing a further £3.2 million in 2010-11.

Sexual Assault Referral Centres

Baroness Gould of Potternewton: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many sexual assault referral centres have separate facilities and staff dedicated to working with children and young people who have been sexually assaulted.

Lord West of Spithead: These data are not centrally collated but we are encouraging all SARCs to ensure that they are able to offer the full range of quality services to children and young people. The Home Office has provided capital and resource funding to expand the number and quality of SARCs since 2003-04, and the recently published Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy committed Government to providing a further £3.2 million in 2010-11.

Somalia: Pirates

Lord Tebbit: To ask Her Majesty's Government which items of pirate equipment and weapons have been destroyed during boarding operations in pursuit of the Royal Navy's operations off the coast of Somalia.

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: Since October 2008 the Royal Navy has seized, and where appropriate disposed of, a total of 49 weapons (39 assault rifles, six rocket propelled grenades and four pistols), a quantity of ammunition, five ladders, several grappling hooks, numerous fuel barrels and four skiffs.

St Helena

Lord Rooker: To ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion of the population of St Helena is dependent upon the public sector.

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: The St Helena Government's latest figures show that the Government have a staffing complement of 949, which is approximately 46 per cent of the island's working population.

St Helena

Lord Rooker: To ask Her Majesty's Government what procedures are in place to protect and preserve historic buildings on St Helena.

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: Responsibility for the preservation of historic buildings on St Helena rests with the Government of St Helena who hold the required information.

St Helena

Lord Rooker: To ask Her Majesty's Government what actions are being taken to improve food security on St Helena.

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: The St Helena Government are currently devising an agricultural and a fisheries strategy with a view to making the island more self-sufficient in food.

Sudan

Baroness Cox: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will make representations to the Government of Sudan about the recent arrests of opposition leaders in Khartoum.

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: We were very concerned by arrests on 7 December 2009 of those involved in a peaceful demonstration in Khartoum. The demonstration had been organised by the Sudanese People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) and other northern opposition parties. Violence was used against some of the protestors. We understand that those arrested were released shortly afterwards.
	I issued a joint statement with my honourable friend the Minister of State for the Department for International Development on 15 December 2009 about developments in Sudan. It expressed concern at the disruption of peaceful protest and underlined the importance of political rights as well as implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA). The statement is available here:
	http://ukinsudan.fco.gov.uk/en/newsroom/?view=News&id=21448078
	During the week of 7 December 2009, the UK Special Representative for Sudan and British Ambassador met senior members of the National Congress Party (NCP) and SPLM in Khartoum, including Presidential Adviser Ghazi Salah Eddin, Foreign Minister Deng Alor, Vice-President of South Sudan Riek Machar, and Pagan Amum SPLM Secretary General. They also met a number of opposition party leaders.
	In all these meetings we urged restraint on all sides, underlined the importance of political dialogue and warned against unilateral steps by any party. We also reiterated the priority the UK attached to full implementation of the CPA.

Tax Allowances

Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the most recent estimate of the cost of making the personal allowance transferable between couples with children under the age of six for each of the next five years.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the most recent estimate of the total financial effect of making the personal allowance transferable between couples with children under the age of six for each of the next five years by income decile.

Lord Myners: Due to the complex nature of these questions, the following estimates should be treated with caution. These estimates exclude any behavioural response to the change, which could be significant given the magnitude of the change.
	HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) estimates that the cost of making the personal allowance transferable between married couples and civil partners with children under the age of six would be £960 million for 2009-10.
	Information on average gains by income decile of all UK households as a result of making personal allowances transferable between married couples and those in civil partnerships with children under the age of six in 2009-10 are shown in the table below:
	
		
			  Average gain 
			 Income decile (£ per year) 
			 Bottom 0 
			 2nd 20 
			 3rd 30 
			 4th 40 
			 5th 40 
			 6th 40 
			 7th 30 
			 8th 50 
			 9th 50 
			 Top 60 
		
	
	These estimates have been calculated from HM Treasury's tax and benefit static micro-simulation model using Family Resources Survey 2007-08 data uprated to 2009-10 levels of prices and earnings. The model does not take into account behavioural changes in response to changes to the tax and benefit system or economic conditions so if the model was used to produce the financial effect for five years, it would show similar results for each year.

Tax Allowances

Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the most recent estimate of the proportion of (a) individuals who are married, (b) individuals who are married with dependent children, and (c) the working age adult population, who would benefit from a transferable personal tax allowance between married couples for each of the next five years.

Lord Myners: Due to the complex nature of this Question, the following estimates should be treated with caution. These estimates exclude any behavioural response to the change, which could be significant given the magnitude of the change.
	The most recent estimate available of the proportion of individuals who are married or in civil partnerships that would benefit from a transferable personal tax allowance is 41 per cent. For those who are married or in civil partnerships with children the estimated proportion of beneficiaries would be 44 per cent, and for the working age adult population as a whole the estimate is 22 per cent.
	These estimates have been calculated from HM Treasury's tax and benefit static micro-simulation model using Family Resources Survey 2007-08 data uprated to 2009-10 levels of prices and earnings. The model does not take into account behavioural changes in response to changes to the tax and benefit system or economic conditions so if the model was used to produce the financial effect for five years, it would show similar results for each year.

Taxation: Non-domiciled Residents

Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Myners on 7 December (WA 101), whether they will update the estimates of additional revenue based on self-assessment returns for the tax year 2008-09.

Lord Myners: The deadline to make tax returns for the 2008-09 financial year is 31 January 2010. Consequently, it is not possible to update the Exchequer yield from a flat £25,000 annual levy on all resident non-domiciled individuals using returns for 2008-09.

Taxation: Personal Allowance

Lord Rooker: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many extra low paid workers and pensioners are forecast to pay income tax because of the freezing of personal allowances for 2010-11.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government how much extra revenue is forecast to be collected from freezing income tax personal allowances in 2010-11; and how much of that will come from those who do not pay income tax in 2009-10 because they earn less than the personal allowance.

Lord Myners: For 2010-11 the personal allowance will be maintained at its 2009-10 level of £6,475. By freezing the allowance at its current level, the allowance increases in real terms compared to the change in inflation, as measured by the Retail Price Index, of minus 1.4 per cent in the year ending September 2009. This will prevent individuals with incomes between £6,385 and £6,475 paying income tax; no extra revenue will be raised.

Taxation: Residential Property

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will provide tax relief for the letting of dwellings which have been empty for long periods and for individual rooms in private houses.

Lord Myners: There is no relief for the letting of dwellings that have been empty for long periods. All taxes are kept under review, with any changes announced by the Chancellor as part of the Budget cycle.
	The rent-a-room scheme provides that income under £4,250 from the letting of furnished residential accommodation in an individual's main or only home is not charged to income tax. If the income exceeds this threshold, the individual may choose whether to pay tax on the amount in excess of £4,250 or the actual profit they derive from letting out the accommodation.

Teachers: Offences

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many teachers have been falsely accused of offences in the most recent years for which figures are available.

Baroness Morgan of Drefelin: The operation of disciplinary procedures in schools, including the handling of accusations involving teachers, is a matter for local determination. Accordingly the information requested about offences, including accusations that may subsequently turn out to be false, is not routinely held centrally.
	In 2007 the Department for Children, Schools and Families carried out a review of allegations against staff working with children and young people across the whole of the children's workforce. 128 local authorities provided data on 3,099 allegations where action was concluded in the period 1 April 2007 to 30 September 2007. 2.8 per cent of these concluded allegations were judged to be malicious and 13.4 per cent were judged to be unfounded. Local authorities were asked to record allegations in all categories that applied, so it is possible that some allegations may have been counted in both of the above categories.

Telecommunications: Security

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many warrants have been issued for telephone intercepts in each of the last five years; and whether the number is forecast to increase over the next five years.

Lord West of Spithead: The figures for the number of interception warrants issued for each of the last five years are shown in the attached table. These are taken from the Interception of Communications Commissioner's annual reports and do not distinguish between telephone intercepts and other communications. On the basis of these figures we do not anticipate any significant changes to the number of warrants issued over the next five years.
	
		
			 Period Issued by Home Secretary Issued by Scottish Executive 
			 1 January 2008 to31 December 2008 1508 204 
			 1 January 2007 to31 December 2007 1881 145 
			 11 April 2006 to December 2006 1333 102 
			 1 January 2005 to31 March 2006 2243 164 
			 1 January 2004 to31 December 2004 1849 124

Terrorism

Baroness Neville-Jones: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many foreign nationals have been convicted of terrorist offences in each year since 2001.

Lord West of Spithead: The Home Office does not currently compile aggregate statistics regarding the nationality of those convicted for terrorism offences. However, the Home Office does collate statistics on the number of terrorism arrests, charges and convictions and these are included in a bulletin published for the first time on 13 May 2009 (Statistics on Terrorism Arrests and Outcomes Great Britain 11 September 2001 to 31 March 2008). The first edition of the bulletin is available at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs09/hosb0409.pdf.
	The second issue of the bulletin was published on 26 November 2009 and is available via the link below at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs09/hosb1809.pdf.

Terrorism

Baroness Neville-Jones: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many foreign nationals have been imprisoned for terrorist offences in each year since 2001.

Lord West of Spithead: The Home Office does not currently compile aggregate statistics regarding the nationality of those convicted for terrorism offences. However, the Home Office collates statistics on the number of terrorism arrests included in a bulletin published for the first time on 13 May 2009 (Statistics on Terrorism Arrests and Outcomes Great Britain 11 September 2001 to 31 March 2008). The first edition of the bulletin is available at http://www.homeoffice .gov.uk/rds/pdfs09/hosb0409.pdf.
	The second issue of the bulletin was published on 26 November 2009 and is available via the link below at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs09/hosb1809.pdf.

Terrorism

Baroness Neville-Jones: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the average prison sentence for foreign nationals imprisoned for terrorist offences since 2001.

Lord West of Spithead: The Home Office does not currently compile aggregate statistics regarding the nationality of those convicted for terrorism offences. However, the Home Office collates statistics on the number of terrorism arrests included in a bulletin published for the first time on 13 May 2009 (Statistics on Terrorism Arrests and Outcomes Great Britain 11 September 2001 to 31 March 2008). The first edition of the bulletin is available at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs09/hosb0409.pdf.
	The second issue of the bulletin was published on 26 November 2009 and is available via the link below at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs09/hosbl809.pdf.

Terrorism: Hizb-ut-Tahrir

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether Mr Tony Blair when Prime Minister undertook that Hizb-ut-Tahrir would be proscribed under the Terrorism Act 2000; and, if so, why that has not happened.

Lord West of Spithead: In a speech on 5 August 2005, the then Prime Minister stated an intention to proscribe Hizb-ut-Tahrir (HuT). Proscription is a tough but necessary power to tackle terrorism. Decisions on proscription must be proportionate and based on evidence that an organisation is concerned in terrorism as defined in the Terrorism Act 2000. When HuT was considered for proscription, it was not judged to meet the statutory test contained in the 2000 Act. No further evidence has emerged since which would meet that test.
	Hizb-ut-Tahrir, along with other organisations which cause us concern, is kept under continuous review. As and when new material comes to light it is considered and the organisation reassessed as part of that process.

Terrorism: Hizb-ut-Tahrir

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether any senior civil servants in the Home Office are members of Hizb-ut-Tahrir.

Lord West of Spithead: We have no record of any member of the Senior Civil Service in the Home Office having declared membership of Hizb-ut-Tahrir.

Visas

Baroness Scott of Needham Market: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the 10 countries from which the largest number of visa applications are received which do not have United Kingdom visa offices in them; and how many applications are received from each of those countries.

Lord West of Spithead: In some countries the UK Border Agency accepts visa applications at British diplomatic missions or visa application centres operated by our commercial partners, who pass the applications to a regional decision-making centre in another country. There are also countries where the UK Border Agency has no facilities to accept visa applications. It is not clear to which the noble Lady is referring. I would be happy to provide the information upon clarification.

Waste Management: Brofiscin Quarry

The Countess of Mar: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether action to remedy chemical contamination in and around Brofiscin Quarry has commenced; and whether appropriate persons for the remediation of Brofiscin Quarry have been identified.

Lord Davies of Oldham: Since October 2008, as part of a planned programme over at least three years, the Environment Agency has been undertaking a series of remediation assessment actions at Brofiscin Quarry. It has completed a water balance survey for the quarry and a monitored natural attenuation feasibility study for contaminated groundwater beneath it. The monitoring data collected demonstrate that natural processes occurring in the groundwater are continuing to break down the contaminants.
	The Environment Agency has concluded its investigations to identify those it believes responsible for remediation at Brofiscin Quarry. It has held discussions with those identified in order to secure funding for voluntary remediation actions. Discussions are ongoing and the Environment Agency is keen to reach an agreement without the need for expensive litigation.

Water Management

Lord Dykes: To ask Her Majesty's Government what initiatives they plan for public responses to the European Union Water Framework Directive by the end of 2009.

Lord Davies of Oldham: The Environment Agency is the competent authority for the water framework directive in England and Wales. It has worked with a wide range of interested parties in the river basin management process to ensure the delivery of an improved water environment.
	Three formal consultations have been held in the river basin planning process. These were in December 2006, July 2007, and December 2008.
	The Environment Agency has also set up liaison panels for each river basin district and national panels for England and Wales. The panels provide a forum for codeliverers and stakeholders, including environmental groups and riparian owners, to discuss and influence the development of the river basin management plans and assist with implementation.
	Delivery of the plans will require the ongoing involvement of a range of groups. The Environment Agency will investigate new ways of working with these groups to ensure that the water environment is improved.

Women: Discrimination

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty's Government why they are not promoting a United Kingdom candidate for membership of the United Nations Agency for Women or the United Nations Committee for the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to ascertain whether there are qualified United Kingdom candidates for membership of the United Nations Agency for Women or the United Nations Committee for the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: The UK remains fully committed to the protection and promotion of all human rights, including the rights of women. We are strong supporters of the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women and its committee. The UK last presented its report on our implementation of the convention to the committee in 2008.
	The UK promotes gender equality and women's rights through our membership of the Human Rights Council; our current membership of the Commission for the Status of Women; our promotion of women's rights bilaterally and through international organisations; and our support for the creation of a new composite UN gender entity for women.
	The UK has a clear policy in relation to UN appointments which is focused on promoting open, transparent and merit-based selection that attracts as broad a representation as possible. It may sometimes be the case that the best candidate for the job may not be a UK national.
	When assessing whether to field a candidate for upcoming vacancies within the treaty-monitoring bodies of the UN international human rights treaties, and the other human rights bodies of the UN, to which we are eligible to nominate candidates, the UK takes into account a range of factors, including: the impact that a UK incumbent can have on UK priorities; the current number of UK experts on these bodies; the balance of bodies on which we wish to be represented; whether there are other candidates standing who can represent UK interests; and, the resources and political capital available with which to run election campaigns. We prioritise our election bids to stand the best chance of success to those bodies identified on these criteria. Elections are frequently contested by a large number of candidates from a wide range of countries.
	For 2010, Patrick Thornberry will be the UK candidate for CERD (Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination). The UK will also be standing for the ACABQ (Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions). The UK has to date not put forward a candidate for the CEDAW committee. However, we do not rule out our fielding a candidate in the future. The appointment of the Under Secretary-General to head the new UN Gender Entity will be made by the UN Secretary-General, and not by election.